Demons of the Sea
by carolinepierce
Summary: At 15 years old Caroline Forbes meets the notorious pirate captain Klaus Mikaelson. He offers to spare her life for a kiss and she agrees. Three years later when pirates attack the ship she is on the same man rescues her from drowning. Now she is forced to join the crew as they set out on a dangerous quest filled with adventure and romance that wil change everything she knows.
1. Prologue

**Ugh I know. What is this? Another story? Well, yes. I've just finished watching Once Uppn A Time and when Captain Hook came along I just had to write something with pirates. And when I write, I write Klaroline. This chapter is only the prologue and the rest of the story will be set in the future.**

**So a few disclaimers. First, I don't own TVD or the characters. Also, a lot of the ideas from this story comes from various different things. Mainly, the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies and the books The Pirate Ruse and To Catch a Pirate. Also, the title of the story comes from the first book in the series Vampirates which is rather fitting even though this doesn't actually contain any vampires.**

**I haven't actually read either of the books so it's very loosly based on them obviously. I think that's about it! I hope you'll enjoy this story because I am really enjoying writing it.**

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"Miss Forbes!" the sound of one of her father's men calling her name barely made Caroline bat an eyelash. She had perfected the art of ignoring them over the years. When one spends so much time breaking the rules they're bound to have people chasing after them, calling their name, quite often.

Caroline kept her hands on the rough wood railing and her eyes locked on the view. It was her first time on a ship and she had never seen the ocean from anywhere but the dock. She had not left the side of the ship since they had boarded, unable to tear her eyes off the stormy waters.

"Miss Forbes," she recognized the voice without turning around to face the man. Tom was only a few years older than her but the town whispered that his skills on a ship were far beyond his age. She might have been impressed had he not spent every moment of their trip treating her like she was made out of glass. "You should head back to your quarters," his voice was closer now and she felt his presence next to her. Stubbornly Caroline refused to meet the gaze she felt burning on her. "You will catch a cold if you stay out here."

"But I enjoy it out here," she whined. Finally she turned around to face him. Their eyes locked and Caroline thought she saw a smile ghost across his lips. "I have never seen the water like this before. At home it is tame and still. Out here it seems to have a life of its own," she said dreamily before turning back to face the ocean.

It was true what she said. Caroline did not spend a lot of time by the docks – when she was there the men would whistle and call her names that made her feel _very_ uncomfortable – but she had seen enough to know that it was nothing like this. They had only been sailing for a few hours yet it seemed like they had reached an entire different sea all together. The waves were strong and crushed against the ship. The wind pulled at her perfect curls and rudely attempted to lift the skirt of her dress. And the colors – nothing was just one color. The sky was dark and light at the same time and the water was every shade of blue, green and silver there could be. It was amazing.

"How can the water be so many colors at the same time?" Caroline asked Tom curiously. He seemed taken aback by the question because he furrowed his eyebrows and stayed silent. Caroline was too impatient to wait for an answer before moving on to her next question. "How can the sky be anything but blue?"

"You ask difficult questions, Miss Forbes," Tom said and Caroline had to keep from rolling her eyes. Her maid and friend Bonnie Bennett would always tell her off when she did. _A lady does not roll her eyes Caroline, _Bonnie would say. _Your eyes will get caught in the back of your head and no man will ever want to marry you. _That would only result in Caroline rolling them again to prove that Bonnie was lying.

"Do you have an answer to them?" she demanded.

"I'm afraid I –" Caroline raised her eyebrows, waiting for Tom to finish the sentence he had left hanging. She did not understand what had caused the abrupt silence. But then his eyes widened and his mouth fell open and it did not take Caroline long to look where his shaking finger was pointing. "Miss Forbes you must get back to your quarters _now_," he commanded his voice fighting the fright building up behind the words.

Caroline did not have to ask what was wrong. The heavy fog was still hiding the ship but there was no mistaking the flag waving in the wind. A background black as night embellished with a skull white as snow. Pirates.

"Miss Forbes, get back to your quarters!" this time there was no mistaking the fear in Tom's voice. His eyes locked with hers and for a moment all she saw was a boy hardly older than her. But Caroline had no time to help him. She lifted the hem of her dress and started running back below. A loud bell was going off in her head and it was not until the men of the ship started appearing on deck that she realized that the sound was coming from the warning bell that Tom was ringing.

The realization of what was going on hit her so hard it took her breath away. Pirates were coming for them.

Chaos was surrounding her. Some men were drawing their swords or getting the cannons ready while others were doing their best to change the direction they were going. Caroline begged to every god she knew of that they would succeed.

Her legs carried her below deck. Tears were clouding her eyes and she could not see where she was going. Somehow Caroline managed to find her way back to her quarters and quickly shut the door behind her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and it felt as if it was about to break free any second now.

"Get it together, Caroline!" she snapped at herself but she could not stop the tears from running down her cheeks. She had heard so many stories of pirates that she had grown to believe that they were nothing more than that – stories. But now they were being attacked and she was forced to realize that they were very much real. And if she didn't do something quickly they would kill her.

Caroline looked around her room for something that would help her protecting herself. She wished she had a sword like every man on the ship. Even her father had one to defend himself with.

"Oh papa," at the thought of her father Caroline's eyes clouded with tears once again. She forced herself to fight the tears and breathe slowly. Her father would be alright. He had a weapon and a way to protect himself. That was exactly what she needed to get for herself now.

Once again Caroline's eyes scanned the room for something to use to defend herself. She started throwing things on the floor and lifting everything she could in desperate search of anything with a sharp edge. She was on the ground, tearing through everything she owned, when she heard it; the creaking sound of wood that was only made when someone walked on it.

Caroline's whole body tensed up and she shuffled back into a corner, her face turned towards the door. Her eyes were dry of tears but filled with fear. She could still hear the commotion from above which meant the fighting was not over. Once again Caroline found herself praying, this time that the person outside her door was a friend rather than a foe.

The handle started to push down, tantalizingly slow, and Caroline watched it until there was a small _click _as the door opened. Her breathing grew rapid when a boot stepped across the threshold.

"Ey love," Caroline's eyes slowly moved up the body of the stranger until they finally came to rest on his face. She did not need to ask to know that he was a pirate. If the clothes he wore and the captains hat on top of his head had not been enough to tell her the smirk on his lips was menacing enough to do so. She shrunk back, attempting to crawl back even further than she already had.

"What do you want?" Caroline asked and she silently cursed herself for the way her voice trembled. She did not want him to know just how frightened she was of him.

"Oh you've clearly never done this before," the pirate scoffed the same smirk still glued to his lips. Caroline gasped when his hand reached for his sword and pulled it from its sheath. "This is when you beg for your life sweetheart."

His sword was dangling lazily in his hand. Caroline's eyes stayed on it. If she threw herself at it she might be able to catch him off guard and grab it from him. Of course she had no idea what she would do if she actually got a hold of the sword. Caroline had never even held a sword and definitely not fought with one. She was foolish to think she would be able to beat a pirate with his own weapon.

Maybe begging for her life _was _the one thing she could do.

"I don't want to die," she found herself whispering and the words seemed to spark something in his eyes. "I'll do anything. Please don't kill me," she had meant to say it just to humor his former words but she realized that she meant it. Caroline had never been in a situation where her life was in danger before but she had always hoped that if she ever ended up in one she would be as brave as the heroes that always came with the pirate stories. But all thoughts of bravery had been wiped away from her mind. She wanted to live.

"Anything?" he asked suggestively his tongue darting out to lick his lips.

Caroline's eyes widened at his remark and she felt her cheeks grow hot under his crude stare. No man had ever spoken to her that way! The one word he had uttered was laced with things that made her cheeks redden and Caroline was unable to meet his burning gaze. Her diverting eyes only seemed to amuse him because a low chuckle left him.

"No worries m'lady, I am sure you have something else that could catch my interest… how about that necklace of yours?"

Immediately Caroline's hand reached up to where the heavy medallion was hanging around her neck. His words made her forget about his previous statements and her eyes darted back to his.

"No – please no, not the necklace," she begged and the pleading was even more sincere than it had been when she was begging for her life.

The pirate seemed unimpressed with her pleading. He leaned back against the doorframe and twirled his sword around, his eyes never leaving hers.

"First you offer anything for your life then you refuse to give me what I want. Has anyone ever told you that you're terrible at negotiating?" he asked teasingly but there was a slight edge to his words that did not go unnoticed with Caroline.

Her fingers were still clenched around the medallion when she spoke.

"Please I beg of you. The necklace is all I have left of my mother," Caroline had no idea why she was telling him the truth rather than some lie about the necklace being worth nothing. He was a pirate and pirates did not feel for others. "There must be something else I can offer you instead," she said desperately.

The smirk on his lips widened and his eyes slowly trailed down her body. They stopped at her neckline and her cheeks burned hot when she realized he was staring at her exposed breasts.

"Yes there is something else you could offer… but I doubt you'll give it up freely," his words sent a chill down her spine but she tried her best not to let it show. "The necklace please," he held out his free hand.

Caroline closed her eyes for a second before nodding slowly. She pushed herself up into a standing position and took a tentative step closer to him. Her hand was still covering the necklace in question. The thought of giving up the only thing she had left of her mother – the only thing that kept the memory of the woman who had given her life alive – pained her more than anything else that had happened yet.

Her hands slowly moved up to unclasp the necklace and she couldn't stop the single tear from running down her cheek as she did.

"You know," the pirate spoke slowly. "There is something else I would be willing to take for sparing your life."

Caroline's eyes lit up and without thinking she took a step towards him. Her hands fell to her sides without taking off the necklace and a hopeful smile spread across her lips.

"I have gold," she said quickly. "Not a lot, the rest is with my father, but I will give you all I –"

"I don't want gold," he interrupted her quickly. He only had to take a small step forwards to close the final space between him and Caroline's eyes widened when he did. She felt a sudden urge to throw herself back into the corner and cover there but she forced herself to stand up tall. "I want a kiss."

This time his request did not make her eyes widen with fear but with surprise. She felt her cheeks heat up once again and her arms wrapped around her body to hide it from his searching eyes. Had the circumstances been different Caroline would have been well off to slap the man for asking her to give away something as precious as her first kiss to a stranger.

"A kiss?" it wasn't meant to be a question but it came out as one anyways.

"Yes, a kiss," the pirate said in a tone that suggested he thought she was dumb for asking. "And I'm getting impatient so either kiss me, give me the necklace or I'll cut your throat with my sword. What will it be?"

The threat rang loud and clear in Caroline's ears and she knew that that the question only had one answer. Caroline's tongue slowly wetted her lower lip nervously before closing her eyes and standing up on her toes. She could practically feel him smirking as he leaned down to meet her in the middle.

Their lips met lightly but the kiss remained soft for less than a second. The hand that wasn't on his sword wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer while his lips moved roughly against hers. For some reason Caroline did not understand she found she did not want him to stop. The fact that he was a pirate that had just threatened to kill her had escaped her. She raised her hands to put them around his neck in a desperate attempt to get closer to him. The feel of his tongue against her lips forced a moan from her lips and before she had time to feel embarrassed about it his tongue was inside her mouth, wrestling with her own.

"Captain!" a loud voice pulled Caroline back to reality and she stumbled backwards, away from the smirking pirate staring down at her. "Captain we have to get back to the ship," the newcomer standing outside her door spoke quickly.

Caroline turned her head away, reluctant to look at the man in front of her after what she had just done. After how much she had _enjoyed_ it. But apparently the pirate was having none of that. His hand reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look him straight in the eye.

"Thank you," his eyes sparkled with amusement that only made Caroline feel worse about the situation. "Until we meet again," with a slight tilt of his head he dashed off and left her alone.

Caroline heard several screams and unattainable words from the deck. Her cheeks were still flushed from the kiss and she stumbled back to her bed which she fell back on. Her heart was racing and she was not sure whether it was from almost having her life taken away or from being kissed by the very same man threatening to do so.

Before she had time to dwell too much on the subject Tom came rushing through the door.

"Oh thank god you're alright," he sighed. "The pirates have gone. Your father requests to see you."

Without asking any questions Caroline got up and smoothed out her dress. Her fingers ran through her blonde curls to make them look presentable and she prayed that her lips were not showing any signs of the tingling sensation left as an aftermath of the kiss.


	2. I

**Hello lovelies! This might be a bit of a long authors note but please read through the whole thing. First of all I want to thank every single person that has reviewed, followed, favorited (is that a word? haha) or read this story. DOTS is very different from what I usually write so the support means more to me than I could ever explain. You guys are the absolute best.**

**I want to take this time to answer two questions I got in the reviews. I figured I'd do it here so everyone can get the answers if it confused someone else!**

_I love this! Are you going to turn Caroline into a total badass where she knows how to handle a sword and fight within these three years or is she going to be a defenseless girl? No matter what you do I know this story will be amazing, but I'm team Badass Caroline :) Update soon!_

**Caroline will be a bit of a damsel in distress for the first few chapters. But I can promise that there will definitely be a lot of badass Caroline moments in the future!**

_What do you mean with "will be set in the future?"_

**This chapter and the rest of the story is set three years into the future!**

**Okay now that I've rambled forever here's the chapter. It's not been read through by a beta because I wanted to get it up for you guys asap but I hope you enjoy it even though there might be a few mistakes!**

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The ship was majestic. That's what her father had called it when he told her about his new beauty and Caroline had no choice but to agree. It was a beautiful ship and she should have been looking forward to stepping on it. But Caroline felt no excitement at the prospect of doing so. All she felt was cold fear rushing through her veins.

Every time she had been asked Caroline had lied and said she was fine. Every time someone had questioned her lies she had snapped and told them to mind their own business. Lying was not a talent of hers but she was not going to admit to anyone that she had spent the past weeks sleepless at the thought of leaving land again.

No one could blame her for her fear. The only time she had ever been on a ship, far out at sea, pirates had attacked. Miraculously enough the body count had been low and the pirates had left after taking their gold and jewels. Caroline still remembered the day as if it were yesterday. She had, after all, had a run in with the captain of the band of pirates. When asked what had happened she had said he had threatened to kill her and asked for gold. It was only half a lie.

But what had actually happened in her quarters haunted her dreams just as much as the terrors of that day.

Caroline took a deep breath and forced herself to fight against the urge to close her eyes as she boarded the ship. She felt silly to be worrying so much because no one else seemed the least bothered with the trip they were about to make. While she knew no one would judge her for her fears Caroline did not want anyone's pity.

"Miss Forbes," Tom's familiar voice caused the tension in her body to ease up a bit and brought a small smile to her lips. She did not see him very often since he worked on the ships and she did her best to remain on lands but she had not forgotten his kindness. "Would you like to watch the view from the deck?" he asked with a rare grin on his lips.

"Actually, I think I'll stay below deck this time," Caroline said with an apologetic smile. He gave her a knowing look that almost made her want to take that back and stay on deck just to prove that she wasn't scared. But she was so she turned away from him and made her way below the deck.

Caroline settled in quickly, admiring the large room she would be staying in. If it wasn't for the slight but constant swaying she could have forgotten she was on a ship rather than at home. She sat down by the desk in the corner and pulled out a book. She only had patience to read a few pages before she got bored with it.

Caroline put the book down and sighed. Elena Gilbert could spend hours with a book and she would never get tired of it. Sometimes Caroline had to beg her friend to lift her nose from the book and actually talk to her. Caroline had always wished she could be as deep and sophisticated as Elena but she never quite managed to. Books bored her and she didn't like to sit still. She enjoyed socializing, pretty dresses and batting her eyelashes when Tyler Lockwood walked by.

Sometimes she hated herself for her shallow behavior and interests but there wasn't much she could do about it. Caroline had spent a long time trying to mirror Elena's walk and smile and had gotten nowhere with it. She enjoyed being herself more than pretending to be someone others wanted her to be.

Of course, it wasn't actually that easy but she liked to tell herself it was.

With a slight scowl Caroline flipped through the pages of her book without stopping to read a single word. She was bored. There wasn't a lot a girl could do on a ship when she was too scared to leave her room. Her teeth graced her bottom lip while she thought. Maybe going up on deck wouldn't be so bad. She could take a quick peek to calm herself down and get rid of the boredom. Caroline was just about to get up when a loud explosion sent her flying off her chair.

The loud _BANG _that erupted had caused her whole room to vibrate and sent the chair she had been sitting on flying along with her. Caroline's heart went straight up her throat and she scrambled to get up on her feet.

A stream of profanities that was not meant to be said by a lady rattled off in Caroline's head as she hurried out the door. The moment she made it up to the deck she wished she had stayed hidden in her quarters with her fingers in her ears.

The commotion on the deck was chaotic enough for no one to notice that a young woman had suddenly appeared in the midst of it all. Caroline wasn't surprised that no eyes lingered on her. It seemed that her luck was the worst of them all because once again pirates had boarded the ship she was on.

Somehow, even though fear was tearing her mind and body apart, Carline managed to marvel at the chance of this happening. God had to be hell bent on putting her through the worst kind of torture for this to happen.

Swords clinked against swords and there was a mixture of pistols and cannons going off at random. Every time one of the loud noises shuddered through the air Caroline drew back instinctively. She was still trying to figure out what the hell to do when a man appeared in front of her.

"Well what do we have here?" his voice was amused and his chest was covered in something Caroline quickly realized was blood. "Aren't ye a pretty one, eh?" his eyebrows wiggled and Caroline tried to take a step back but his thick hand wound around her wrist, forcing her to stay in place.

"Please – " she began but before she had a chance to offer him anything a strangled shriek left him and his hand dropped from her wrist.

"Miss Forbes," Tom's sword had gone straight through the pirate's back and he was pulling it out when Caroline's eyes found his. "You must hide," he said with an urgency she had never heard in his or anyone else's voice before. He pulled his sword out of the body that had now fallen to the ground and stepped towards Caroline. "Hide and keep safe."

Caroline gave him a quick nod and as if it was the only thing he was waiting for he darted off to join the battle again. Now the problem was that Caroline had no idea where to hide.

Any room would be too obvious and there weren't many hiding places that she knew of. The ship was large and spacious which did not come in handy at the moment. But there was no time to think. Caroline took a deep breath and started running out onto the deck. If she could just find a large pile of ropes she could hide under there.

All of the sudden pain soared through Caroline's head as a blunt object hit her across the side. She toppled over the side of the ship and everyone was too busy trying to keep themselves alive to notice.

Her body hit the cold water and began to sink. Her mind was groggy and her eyes wouldn't open. Caroline's arms flailed above her head, desperate for something to grab on to. She kicked her legs and tried to move towards the light above the surface.

Water was crushing against her from every direction and pulling her towards a dark, bottomless end. Her lungs were being squeezed smaller by the pressure surrounding her and her ears pounded with a ringing noise. Caroline opened her mouth to scream but instead she choked on the water and her throat burned. The strong current kept pulling at her body but Caroline's arms continued to fight towards the surface. Slowly but safely life was draining out of her body as the cold grip of the sea pulled her towards her sure death.

Caroline's eyes fluttered shut. She waited for her life to flash before her eyes but the only thing she saw was her father. He would be so sad when he found out she was gone. If he was still alive. The pirates might very well have killed him too. That meant they would see each other again. They would be a family. _All of them_.

The last thing she remembered before blacking out was the feel of a pair of strong arms wrapping around her body.

…

A slight breeze was what welcomed Caroline back from the darkness. Her eyes remained closed as she started waking up. She could feel her back pressed against a hard surface and her mind felt oddly clouded. What had just happened?

As if on cue the memories started coming back. Images of brutal fighting and dark waves flashed before her closed eyes and the shock of realizing what had happened made her eyes flutter open.

She quickly realized that she was lying on the hard wooden floor of a deck. Relief fluttered through her for a moment, thinking she had somehow gotten back to her father's ship, but she quickly realized her surroundings were foreign to her. The relief was quickly replaced by fear.

Caroline managed to push herself into a sitting position but the small movement made her feel weak and her head spun. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get the world to stop spinning, and when she opened them she found herself staring into a pair of green eyes.

"You're awake," the stranger said in a friendly voice. Caroline still tried to push herself back from him. "Don't be frightened. I won't hurt you," he spoke with such sincerity that Caroline had trouble doubting him. His eyes were friendly and the smile on his lips comforting.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. She had so many questions to ask and she would not be able to utter a single word unless she could breathe normally.

"Here," Stefan picked up a dirty goblet and handed it to her. "Drink up."

Caroline accepted the goblet verily and put it to her mouth. The moment the liquid touched her lip she spit it all out in disgust. What she had thought was water turned out to be something a lot stronger and the little that had made it into her mouth sent a burning feeling down her throat.

"I should have warned you, that's rum," the friendly man chuckled it wasn't an unkind laugh. Caroline decided she liked him. "What's your name?"

"Caroline Forbes," Caroline scrunched her nose and passed him the goblet. She knew very well what rum was and had no intention of drinking it. Not only was the taste horrible but she had been told several times that it messed with your head. While the nice man certainly made her feel better she needed her mind to be sharp.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky. "What happened?"

His eyes flashed with something akin to pity but Caroline wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not because it was gone as soon as it had appeared. He smiled again and took a gulp of the goblet she had handed back to him.

"Have some bread," he said of answering her question, handing her a loaf of dark bread. "You need to get your strength up."

The sight of the bread made Caroline realized just how hungry she was so she gratefully bit into it. It wasn't as good as what she was used to eating but she happily accepted it and continued to stuff pieces of it into her mouth while she waited for answers to her questions. Her eyes bore into his and his lips twisted upwards when he realized what she was waiting for.

"My name is Stefan Salvatore," he started. "You were close to drowning when we saw you. Thankfully we managed to save you. You have been in and out for the past few hours, spluttering water and mumbling things."

"What are you not telling me?" Caroline demanded. He seemed surprise by her words but she was not foolish. She knew he was holding back something.

"The ship you were on was attacked by a band of pirates," he explained what Caroline already knew. "We are that band of pirates."

His eyes were begging for her to understand but Caroline could not. Her breath caught and she made a movement to scramble away from him but the hem of her dress got in the way and she ended up falling onto her back. For the first time she had woken up she began to take in her surroundings.

She was on a ship but it was not her fathers. This ship in question seemed to be just as large and was swaying ever so slightly in the barely there wind. The wooden deck was not the same fine, smooth mahogany colored one she was used to be rough and dirty. And there were people there.

Caroline wasn't sure how she had managed to miss the men dressed in everything from rags to fine clothing. One had a wooden leg and another had a hook for an arm. She even spotted a parrot on a man's shoulder. Caroline felt the dread she had been fighting close around her throat and her heart pounded against her chest. She was surrounded by pirates.

"It's okay," Stefan reached out his hand to grab hers but Caroline swatted it away with a surprising amount of strength. He quickly withdrew it and stayed where he was but kept his eyes locked on hers. "I won't hurt you."

"You're a pirate!" Caroline spat with as much venom as she could muster. "You attacked my father's ship! You killed people!"

"Yes I am a pirate," he said and if she had not been so busy panicking Caroline might have wondered about the sad smile he said it with. "And your accusations are true. But you have my word that I will not hurt you. None of us will."

His _word_ did little to control Caroline's emotions that were spinning out of control. He was a pirate! Her previous thoughts that he seemed like a good man had been thrown off board when he was branded with the title. Pirates did nothing but lie, steal and kill. She was not going to let them get to her.

With every ounce of strength that was left in her still weak body she pushed herself off the ground and threw herself towards the port side of the boat. Her hands gripped at the side but before she had a chance to go through with her plan and throw her legs across the side a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Stefan said apologetically, his strong arms crushing her body against his.

"Let me go!" Caroline shrieked, loud enough for earn some curious glances and snickers from the crew, while she kicked her legs as hard as she could. Her arms were locked in his embrace and there was nothing she could do other than kick and scram. "I demand that you let go of me!" she shouted but Stefan's arms did not loosen their grip.

They stayed in that exact same position for a while. Caroline continued to kick and scream while Stefan remained silent and rigid. His arms kept her captive and finally Caroline gave up. Her legs stopped moving and her mouth snapped shut. After making sure she was completely done with trying to escape Stefan let go of her and allowed her to stand down.

"I won't hurt you," he said again. "But if you try to escape I will have to stop you."

Caroline heard the silent threat in his voice even if it was hidden by those pretty eyes of his. She gave him a curt nod to let him know she understood but crossed her arms to keep her act of defiance up. She would play along for a while, and then she would find a way to escape. There was no way she would fraternize with pirates for long.

"Well?" Caroline probed when he remained silent. "What is it you want with me?" the question itself scared her just as much as the various answers she could think of. She had no idea what they needed her for but she had heard enough stories to know that it could be nothing good.

"The Captain wants to see you," Stefan said.

Caroline raised her eyebrows questioningly but he did not add anything more. Instead he offered her his arm.

"I was not aware that pirates knew how to behave around a lady," she huffed but still placed a hand on his arm. "Lead the way to this mysterious captain then."

There was a small smile playing on his lips and as much as Caroline tried to fight it she couldn't keep one from making its way to her own lips as well. Her first impression of Stefan seemed to be the true one. Even though he was a pirate and holding her against her will he was a nice man. It was a shame that she had to hate him for what he was.

They walked below deck and Caroline scrunched her nose up against the smell of rum and sweat. Countless of hammocks suspended from the ceiling and some were occupied while others dangled empty. Stefan led her through a set of fancy doors that contrasted with the dirt and into what turned out to be a spacious and rather fancy study. She could see another door leading to what she assumed was the captain's quarters.

"Captain," Stefan spoke and she followed his eyes to the lone chair in the room.

The back of the chair was facing them so all Caroline could see was the tip of a dark pirate hat. Without revealing his face the man stood up and slowly turned around.

Caroline let out a breath she hadn't been realized she was holding when she caught sight of his face. The familiar smirk was on his lips and there was a twinkle in his eyes that she recognized as well.

"You!" she gasped.

"Leave us mate. I have some catching up to do with the lady."


	3. II

**A/N I am blown away by all the support I've recieved for this story! Thank you so much guys. It means more than I could ever explain. Now this is a pretty short chapter so the next one will be up soon to make up for it. Maybe even later today if I feel especially nice. So enjoy reading and remember that reviews are like cupcakes with sprinkles and tiny little choocolate shaped hearts on top!**

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"You…" was all Caroline could manage.

"Yes. Me," he drawled and Caroline's hands clenched into fits by her sides.

Since the faithful day they met three years ago Caroline had been unable to forget the man standing in front of her. He had haunted her dreams and sometimes, late at night, her fingers would trace her lips and think of the way they had felt pressed against his. She had kept their meeting and these thoughts to herself, of course. He was a pirate and that she felt anything but fear and disgust when she thought of him was unacceptable.

Now he was standing there and it could have been yesterday that the very same smirk demanded she kiss him. He had aged just as her and she noticed more scars and marks on his face than last time. There was a scuff on his well-defined jaw and his blue eyes were just as piercing as she remembered them.

The fear he inflicted on her, however, was worse.

Somehow while dreaming of him she had forgotten the part where he twirled his sword around with ease and threatened to cut her throat. She had let herself think only of the way his lips felt against hers and not what he was actually there for. Now she clearly remembered.

The smirk on his lips was dangerous rather than playful and his eyes glimmered with silent threats.

"Did you miss me love?" he asked teasingly but all she could focus on was the hand he kept on the head of his sword. He was prepared to draw it at any moment. "I was expecting a welcome kiss, remembering how much you enjoyed it last time, eh?"

In spite of herself Caroline felt her cheeks grow hot under his stare and her eyes flickered to the floor so she wouldn't have to look at his confident expression. His irritating ways almost made her forget that she was supposed to be scared for her life. _Almost_.

He took his good old time walking around the table separating them, his eyes dancing with glee while they ran up and down her body appreciatively. She was wearing a tad bit too much fabric for his taste and he would have preferred her to be wearing something a little more form fitting by the sight was still pleasurable.

Caroline forced herself to look up to meet his eyes when he came to a stop in front of her. He held out his hand, waiting for her to place hers in it. Caroline's eyes narrowed as she stared back at him. When she refused to do what he was waiting for he snatched her hand up roughly.

"Captain Klaus Mikaelson," he introduced himself and bowed his head to place a soft kiss on her hand. His lips still attached to her hand he looked up to meet her eyes.

Caroline said nothing. She kept her eyes locked with his and tried to force as much hatred as she possibly could into her glare. After a moment too long he let go of her hand and straightened.

"Are ye not going to tell me your name, sweetheart?"

Quickly considering her options Caroline decided that lying would not do her well and staying silent would only cause her harm. For some reason she felt as if his piercing eyes would see through any lie she spoke and not only because she was a terrible liar.

"Miss Forbes," she said haughtily.

His eyebrows quirked but she only stared back at him. She was a lady and just because he had stolen her first kiss did not mean he was worthy of using her first name.

"Well then _Miss Forbes_," his eyes narrowed while he said her title but he continued speaking. "Where's my thank you?"

Caroline stared at him in confusion. Then a furious anger overtook her and she stomped her foot against the floor.

"Thank you?" she exclaimed loudly. She was acting like a spoiled child but at the moment she did not care. "Why would I thank you? You have kidnapped me and now you are keeping me here against my will!"

"Ah no, that is where you're wrong," he said and his lips curled into a devious smile. "The only thing I did was save ye."

The word sunk in and Caroline remembered the feel of those strong arms while she was battling against the ocean. But she shook her head. No. She did not want to believe that he had been the one to save her. She had thought it must have been one of her father's men who had fished her out of the sea and then the pirates had taken her from there. If not that then she would have imagined Stefan to be her savior. This man with his stupid dimples and dangerous voice could not be the one who had pulled her from the brink of death. It was not acceptable!

Caroline felt very much like stomping her foot again but realized that would get her nowhere. Instead she crossed her arms tightly across her chest and raised her chin.

"You saved me," she said, testing how the words felt coming from her mouth. "I do not believe you."

A shadow crossed his face and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Caroline bit her lip nervously. Being arrogant was one thing but she should not go so far as to anger him.

"Believe what you want but it's the truth," he hissed. "Now how about that thank you?"

He had taken a step forward and his close proximity threw her off. Caroline straightened up and kept her eyes focused on the wall behind him so that she would not have to look at him.

"Fine. Thank you," she said, not quite sure she believed him yet but willing to give him what he wanted if it got him off her back. "Now please let me go."

"Gladly," Klaus said to her surprise. "But first you will give me something I want."

Once again Caroline's mouth fell open and her cheeks turned a dark shade of red. Warning sounds rang in her ears and she wrapped her arms even closer around herself as if it would protect her.

"You bastard!" she shrieked. "I am not some common whore! I won't just –" his sudden laughter stopped her shouting but only offended her more. First he treated her like some sort of scarlet woman and then he laughed at her when she was offended? Did pirates have no manners at all?

"No love, that is not what I'm after," Klaus said after he had finished laughing. "Although if you are offering…"

Caroline's raised her hand and made a move to slap him across him across the face but his hand grabbed her wrist and stopped her. His eyes flashed with anger and a small whimper escaped Caroline. His hold on her wrist was so tight she felt tears pooling in her eyes.

"Try that again and it will be the last thing you do, understand?" he growled. Caroline remained silent so Klaus dug his fingers into her wrist causing her to wince. "I said _understand_?"

"Y-yes," Caroline whimpered. "Please – you are hurting me."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and his eyes went to the grip he had on her wrist before quickly letting go. Caroline pulled her arm back and began massaging the now sore and slightly red spot.

Klaus took a step back and leaned against the table. The table was filled with different treasures. Gold, jewels, rubies and goblets were strewn casually across the dining table. If Caroline had paid attention she would have spotted several of her fathers' belongings lying in the midst of it all.

"The last time we met I took an interest in your necklace," he started and his fingers reached up to play with the several chains hanging around his own neck. "I want it."

Caroline's lips parted to form a small 'o' in surprise. She had not known what to expect but this definitely had not been it. She had guessed that this was some sort of kidnap attempt to get a ransom out of her father or a ploy against her town. Her mind had even wandered to some of the more gruesome stories she had heard about pirates and their whores but she had not let herself dwell too long on that. Her wildest imaginations wouldn't have thought up this scenario.

"My necklace?" on impulse her hand reached to her throat but there was no heavy medallion hanging there. "I do not have my necklace anymore."

Klaus' expression and body language changed within a second. His hand gripped tighter around his sword and his face was contorted with rage. His blue eyes darkened and before Caroline had a chance to move his hand was around her throat and he had her pressed up against the wall.

"What did you say?" he snarled but the way his fingers pressed against her throat and cut of her breathing gave her no chance to answer him.

Caroline's hands reached towards the one suffocating her and tried to pry his fingers off of her but to no avail. He was too strong and she was still weak from her near death experience.

"I – can't – breathe," she managed to get out and his fingers loosened enough for her to gulp in the air she had been deprived off.

"Where is the necklace?" he barked the moment the color began returning to her face. His hand was still around her neck to keep her in place against the wall and his eyes bore into hers threateningly.

"It was stolen," Caroline admitted and once again fury like she had never seen made his eyes darken and his mouth curl into an angry snarl. "A few months back a girl my age came to stay with me and my father," Caroline began to prattle, desperate to keep his attention from turning back to her neck. "We were told that her family had been killed and that she was stopping by our town on her way to the relatives she would be staying with. She said she would only be staying for a few nights but the day she was to leave she received a letter from her relatives saying they would have to postpone her visit. I had grown close with her and asked her to stay as long as she needed. It was … it was nice to have another woman in the house. My mother had been gone for so long and I have no siblings. She stayed for a few weeks but then one night I – I caught her coming out of my room after supper. She said she had taken a wrong turn but in the morning she was gone. She did not even leave a note. It didn't take me long to realize that the necklace was gone with her… she stole it," Caroline finished her story and allowed herself a quick peek at the frightening pirate standing so close.

"Her name," he demanded. "What is the name of the thief?"

He glowered down upon her and once again Caroline knew that telling the truth was her only option. He would find a way to get it out of her if she didn't. She swallowed nervously.

"Rebekah."


	4. III

Klaus kept a strong grip around her arm as he led her down towards the prison cells. Her continued pleas and whining went unnoticed by him and he pushed her into the cell with enough force to cause her to stumble.

"You will stay here until I figure out what to do with you," he snapped and without a second glance at her frightened face he turned around and stalked out of there.

Caroline's "pleases" and "don'ts" rang in his ears as Klaus left the prison behind him. The cells were as secure as they could be. This ship had once belonged to a pirate that was more of a pyshocotic control-freak than Klaus himself. There was no way anyone could break through the heavy metal bars and her screams would not be heard from above.

Klaus pushed a few people out of the way and ignored or snarled at the few comments shot his way. He hurried into the salon and straight through to the office space. Stefan had already gathered the people he needed to see in there. While the young Salvatore lad came with more complications than anything else Klaus could not deny that Stefan was good to have around.

The Salvatore brothers were sitting side by side by the table, Stefan looking brooding and Damon bored. Kol was resting his legs on the table and his one visible eye that wasn't covered by a black patch was twinkling with mischief. Elijah stood in the corner, his hands wrapped behind his back with a solemn look on his face.

"Aye," Klaus greeted them and kicked the door shut behind with his boot.

"Did ye get it?" Kol excitedly asked. "Did ye get the necklace?"

Klaus gave his youngest brother a stern look that wiped the grin right off his face. It only left him feeling slightly better about the situation.

"No," he snapped and tried to ignore the way his men quickly exchanged looks of dread. They knew their captain well enough to understand what a failed mission did to him – and to the poor souls that he decided to punish. "The gal doesn't have it. But I know who does."

Relief seemed to flood through the room and Kol clapped his hands together in an excited manner. If it had not been for the importance of this object Klaus would have been happy about the prospect of an adventure as well. They had been doing the same thing for so long and he was in desperate need of some old fashioned adventure. But as it was he needed the necklace and the sooner he got his hands on it the better.

"Where is Finn?" Elijah asks quietly from his corner.

Klaus shot him a nasty glare before taking his seat at the head of the table. He pulled his hip flask out of his pocket and took a long gulp before bothering to give Elijah an answer.

"I don't trust him," he said. "He might be our brother but he's still a traitor. If he wasn't good at what he does I'd had made him walk the plank a long time ago."

Stefan's eyebrows furrowed even more and Klaus rolled his eyes at the lad's brooding expression. He knew that the Salvatore brothers would never understand the relationship Klaus shared with his own family. Damon and Stefan had their own share of complicated history that, to be honest, amused Klaus to no ends but they always blindly forgave each other and threw their lives away for the other at every chance they got. While they valued family over everything Klaus valued staying alive.

"So who are we hunting down?" Kol asked.

A slow smirk spread across Klaus' lips but he took his good old time giving them the answer they were all leaning forward in anticipation for. He took another swig from the small flask and enjoyed the feel of the rum burning down his throat.

"A dear old friend…" he revealed mysteriously, keeping them all on edge. "Rebekah."

Not even Elijah, who was the master of controlling his emotions, could hide the shock on his face. Klaus stayed silent, enjoying the surprise he had brought out of his men. Being one step ahead of people and seeing the surprise his actions brought out of people was almost as pleasing as the finest rum of the seven wild seas.

"Ah little sister," Kol was the first one to speak. He leaned back and put his hands behind his head and shook his head. "Always such a trouble maker."

"How are we supposed to find her? She's been off the grid since Tortuga" Damon inquired doubtfully.

Klaus glared at the sailor, annoyed with the clear doubt in his voice. Klaus trusted Damon and his skills with a sword had turned out to be quite useful over time but that did not mean he liked the man very much. He got on his nerves almost as much as Kol did.

"Oh she will be right where I expect her to be," Klaus said dryly.

"Right. So where are we setting sails for, Captain?" Damon asked and for a moment Klaus considered drawing his sword and beheading the foolish pirate for using that tone with him. He decided against it however because if he did he would have to settle for Finn and that would be even worse.

"Rebekah is very predictable," Klaus began, ignoring the snort his comment brought out from Kol. "The only thing my foolish sister listens to is her heart which is why I know exactly where she'll be. Brothers… we're going home!"

Damon grinned, Stefan looked confused and Kol cheered. Eliah met Klaus' eyes and gave him a questioning look that Klaus decided to return with a stern narrowing of his eyes.

"That sounds dangerous," Elijah mused from his corner earning an eye-roll from Kol.

"What's wrong with a little danger brother?" the youngest Mikaelson leered. "Are ye a pirate or a mouse?"

"Mikael will be sure to have spies stationed there," Elijah continued as if Kol had not said anything. "He will know about our whereabouts the moment our ship is spotted."

Klaus knew that his brother was right. He hated to admit it but Elijah had spent more time than anyone else by Klaus' side and had learned the ways of Mikael just as Klaus had. The previous owner of the ship they now called theirs was always tracking their steps. He would be sure to have some of his best men placed in their old home town, even though the thought of returning there made Klaus want to rip someone's head off. It was most likely one of the reasons Rebekah had chosen to go back there, other than that damn sentimental streak that dictated her every move.

"We'll have to take the risk," he finally said and his tone left no room for arguing. "Set sails and get the men up on deck. We are going home."

"What about the girl?" Stefan asked and Klaus' hands stiffened on his flask for a second. He quickly brought it to his mouth and swallowed a larger than normal amount of rum. "What should we do with her?"

"I'd be happy to take care of that," Kol snickered.

"No," Klaus barked immediately. "No one touches her. Someone bring her bread and water and I'll figure out what to do with her."

Kol huffed but Klaus did not spare him a moment of pity. The thought of Kol having his way with Caroline bothered him more than it should and his jaw clenched at the thought. Caroline was _his _prisoner and if anyone would put their hands on her body it would be him. The thought of their kiss all those years ago still burned fresh in his memory. There was something about her that made his cock twitch and his imagination go wild. Kol would not touch her.

While Elijah was serious, Kol impulsive, Finn silent and Rebekah sentimental Klaus was possessive. What belonged to him belonged to him and no one else.

"Meeting adjourned," he declared, banging his fist down on the table. Everyone began to scatter to get the ship moving but Klaus could feel Elijah's remaining presence in the back of the room. "What do you want, brother?" he asked once the door shut for the final time.

Elijah stepped forward from the corner so that he could look Klaus straight in the eye.

"We are running straight into Mikael's trap," he spoke. His tone was casual but his expression serious. "Are you sure it's worth it?"

Klaus glared up at him. Elijah was his closest man and his brother but that did not give him permission to question his orders as captain. Elijah seemed to understand what his glare said because he bowed his head respectfully.

"I don't mean to question you but –"

"Then don't," Klaus barked before Elijah had time to finish. "Tell Kol to get the cannons ready and make sure everyone knows we might be facing trouble, I want the crew prepared. Tell no one why or who," Elijah did not argue or say anything else. He clearly understood the finality of Klaus' words. He simply gave his brother a last, searching glance before leaving the office.

Klaus sighed and leaned back. He drank the rest of the rum in one last gulp and shook his head. The thought that he might be going face to face with Mikael unnerved him but he would not back down from the fight if that was what awaited him. He needed that necklace and it did not matter what he had to give up in order of getting his hands on it.

He stood up and straightened his hat. His hand reached to make sure his sword was still at his side and with a grim look on his face he left to go command his crew towards their next adventure.

…

Caroline stopped screaming for help once her throat went soar. She realized pretty quickly that either no one could hear her or no one wanted to help her. Seeing as she was on a pirate ship her money was on the latter. She had rattled the bars again and again but just as quickly she had realized no one was coming to rescue her she had also come to realize that they would not move.

Instead of continuing to scream until she lost her voice entirely she had sat down in the far corner of the small cell she had been locked into. The cold floor was wet and water kept washing in from different creaks. Caroline was cold and miserable. The fright had begun to fade away because all she could think of was how uncomfortable she was.

Her dress was pretty but not very warm. The beautiful fabric had also gotten dirty and wet and her sitting on it didn't do much to help the cause. Her whole body ached from sitting in the same position for God only knew how long, her stomach kept rumbling and her tongue was dry from lack of water.

To pass time Caroline had begun debating with herself about what she most wanted now. She couldn't decide whether water, food or something soft and dry to wear was most preferable and kept comparing the cons and pros of the different options.

The sad truth was that she would most likely get none of it but she tried not to think of that. If it was one thing Caroline was good at it was remaining positive in dark situations. And being locked in a cell on a pirate ship definitely counted as being dark as night.

Her ears picked up a creaking sound and Caroline's head snapped up immediately. Not long after she heard the heavy door Klaus had closed behind him open and steps move towards her.

"Hello?" Caroline called, managing to sound a lot braver than she felt.

"It's just me," Stefan's voice called back and Caroline's shoulder heaved in relief. At least the pirate in question was nice. She was still scared for when she would have to deal with the ones with toothless grins and missing body parts.

A moment later Stefan appeared by her cell. Caroline shuffled a little closer but her eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

"Bread and water," Stefan said and put his hand through the bars to hand her a loaf of bread and a dirty cup. Caroline wrinkled her nose but nevertheless she greedily accepted it.

"You sure take the prison thing seriously," she muttered before taking a long sip of the cold water. "Bread and water," she added under her breath with a small huff.

She noticed that Stefan's lips twitched into the beginning of a smile which relaxed her a little more. As much as Caroline wanted to hate him she couldn't help but feel relieved that he was there. At least he was friendly and if she was going to sit in a cell and rot she was happy she had something pretty to look at. The thought made Caroline giggle.

"What are you laughing at?" Stefan asked. To her surprise he had sat down and was leaning back against the wall opposite of her.

"Oh nothing," Caroline said quickly as mall blush creeping onto her cheeks. "So tell me, how long will I be sitting in this god forsaken cell?" she demanded.

"I'm afraid I don't know," Stefan shook his head slightly. "The Captain is being most… mysterious, about you," he added on afterthought.

Caroline's eyebrows quirked up and she smirked slightly but she didn't say anything. Stefan seemed to have noticed her odd reaction but he remained silent. They sat in comfortable silent while Caroline ate her bread and drank her water. Once she was done she pushed the cup towards Stefan.

"You're not like the rest of them," she said and the surprised look on Stefan's face was enough to make her smile.

"What do you mean?" he asked but she had a feeling he knew what she was talking about.

"Well I cannot say I have a lot of experience with pirates but you're different than any I've ever met or heard of," Caroline kept her eyes on his face, searching it for any signs or secrets.

Another moment of silent stretched between them and Caroline could tell Stefan was surprised by her comment. Or maybe put off. She continued searching his face for an answer, expecting him to refuse answering the question but to her surprise he started speaking.

"That's because I wasn't always a pirate," he said quietly and there were too many emotions clouding in his eyes for Caroline to be able to tell what he was feeling. He was smiling sadly but there was something happy about it as well.

"Tell me more," Caroline requested eagerly. She had always liked a good story – or piece of gossip, as her father would say with a judgmental shake of his finger – and this sounded like the beginning of one.

"Maybe another time," said Stefan. "I have to go now. We are taking off to a new destination."

He picked up the cup she had been drinking out of and stood up. Caroline was suddenly gripped with panic at the prospect of being left alone again. She searched her scattered brain for something to say that would make him stay but found nothing. Before she had time to plead for his company Stefan had left and the door shut with a loud thud.

Caroline sighed and settled back into her corner. The fear that she had managed to forget made itself comfortable once again. She was cold, lonely and her stomach still ached from hunger. She missed her father and the lack of information about what was going on made her head spin while it worked on overdrive trying to figure out what was going on.

With another sigh Caroline closed her eyes and tried to get into a comfortable position. That proved to be nearly impossible but after a while her body gave in and she fell asleep.


	5. IV

**A/N: Wow guys. I am blown away by the support I've recieved for this story. I can't even describe how much it means to me. It makes me cry rainbows and give birth to unicorns. I'm going to try answering reviews soon too. I'm really bad at doing that because I'm not used to ff's review system but yeah just so you guys know I'M TOTALLY LOVING YOU GUYS FROM OVER HERE.**

**. . . . **

For the next few days Caroline remained in the cell. She did her best to keep track of how many nights passed by repeating the number over and over again before she fell asleep on the hard floor. But soon the days and nights began to mash together and because of the lack of windows she was unable to use the sunlight as a guide.

Stefan came to her cell three times a day with bread and water. It was always the same loaf of bread and the same cup with water in it. At first Caroline did not dare to complain but as she got to know Stefan better she loosened up around him. When he came with the food she would roll her eyes and tease him about the lack of imagination pirates had when it came to food. Sometimes he brought her an apple with the bread and one day she even got a small bowl of strawberries.

While Stefan would not tell her anything of importance he did stay and talk with her for a while which was better than nothing. Caroline kept pushing him to answer all her questions about where they were going and what they were going to do with her but he would only purse his lips and give her a knowing look. This would cause Caroline to sigh and she would bother him about his own secrets instead. He didn't give her much to work with on that subject either but that did not stop Caroline from trying.

A few days after she had stopped counting Caroline woke up from the light slumber she had fallen into by the familiar sound of the door opening. She sat up and rubbed her eyes in an attempt to wake up fully. She expected Stefan to step out of the shadows like he always did but to her shock another figure appeared.

Klaus.

"Greetings love," his smooth voice was laced with amusement and something else Caroline could not quite place. He didn't sit down like Stefan would but stood close to the bars, one hand resting on the head of his sword. "How's prison life treating you?"

Caroline tried to smooth her dress out and raised her chin in an attempt to look as impassive as possible. She was pretty sure it wasn't working because the smirk on his lips only widened.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"You look like you could use a bath," Klaus said, completely ignoring her question and Caroline gave a dignified huff in response. "You've been in that dress for a while now, hasn't you?"

Caroline simply stared at him. The truth was she was longing to wash the dirt off her skin and change out of the dress that was beginning to look more like a rag than the beautiful creation it really was. She was used to the luxury of warm baths and always being impeccably dressed. She was not about to tell him that though.

"Here," Klaus suddenly pulled a balled up dress that he must have been hiding behind his back. He held it up for Caroline to see through the bars and she couldn't quite hide her surprise. "I need you to look a little more… presentable," his lips quirked upwards and he threw her the dress.

Caroline got it and fumbled slightly with the soft fabric. She held it out and marveled at the dark red dress he had given her. It was nothing she would normally think to wear with the deep neckline and black lace that kept the bodice tight. The arms poofed out and ended where the middle of her arm would be and white lace at the end of it. It definitely was not a dress made for a lady.

"We're in a hurry so you better get going," Klaus said impatiently.

Caroline got up from where she had been sitting and stared at him pointedly. When he did not bat an eyelash she rolled her eyes and twirled her finger.

"Would you turn around while I get dressed?"

"No," Klaus quickly quipped which resulted in Caroline's jaw dropping.

"What do you mean no? I will not change in front of you!"

"I think you will," Klaus grinned wickedly at her. "Either you put that dress on and I let you out of here or you don't and you stay here while we go retrieve your precious necklace."

Caroline's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of her necklace. She had been trying to figure out what could be so important about it for days now. Klaus had gone mad when she told him she no longer had it which meant it had to mean something to him. She had briefly wondered if it might have belonged to a previous lover of his before it fell into her own hands but then she had remembered that he was a detestable pirate who had probably never loved anyone in his whole life.

"Fine," Caroline shot back at him. She did not want to undress in front of him but right now she would do just about anything to get out of this godforsaken cell. Besides, curiosity was getting the best of her and she was desperate to find out more about what was going on.

Since he refused to do so Caroline turned around so that her back was facing him. She could feel his eyes practically burning holes into her skin and her cheeks were flushing. Thankfully he could not see that. Back home Caroline was known for having a big mouth and being feisty but she was still as innocent as they came. During the brief, fickle romance between her and Matt Donovan all they had ever done was share a secret kiss when no one was looking. No one other than her maid had ever seen her without proper attire.

To think that the first would be the very same captain who had forced her to give up her first kiss was almost ironic.

Caroline quickly undid the dress she was wearing and let it slip to the floor. She was wearing only a thin linen shift underneath it but was thankful for the cover it gave her. As quickly as she could manage she slipped on the dress he had given her and turned around to face him.

He was wearing a smirk and a proud gleam in his eyes as if forcing her to undress in front of him was the most brilliant thing he had ever thought of in his life. Caroline crossed her arms and stared back at him.

"You look ravishing in red," he drawled and his tongue darted out to lick his lips. Caroline simply pursed her lips the way Stefan always did when she asked too many questions and waited. He pulled a large keychain off his belt and chose one of the many keys hanging from it. Caroline did her best to memorize the way it looked in case she would ever get the chance to steal it but when it fell back into the heap of other keys she knew it was pointless.

Klaus pulled the cell door open and stepped to the side. He bowed down in an extravagant manner and held his hand out whirling it around like he was presenting her to a court.

"M'lady."

Caroline forced herself not to smile at his little show and stalked past him, holding the hem of her new dress up to make sure it didn't touch the dirty floor. When she reached the door she pushed it open and left the little prison behind without bothering to wait for him.

Klaus quickly caught up to her though. It seemed as if escaping him was not a possibility. They walked side by side up to the deck without talking but she could feel his presence next to her. She could also feel every man staring her direction. These men were just like the pirates she had learned about too. They whistled, catcalled and asked her to do things that were highly inappropriate to even be thinking about. Caroline did her best to keep the blush off her cheeks but she couldn't help it. She had never been spoken to this way and had no idea how to handle it.

"So innocent," Klaus snickered from her side but Caroline continued to ignore him.

When they reached the deck Caroline realized that they had docked while she was still locked away. Caroline had no idea where they could possibly be. The dock seemed rather normal and she could spot ordinary people milling about, all of them doing their best to avoid looking at the ship Caroline stood on.

"Where are we?" Caroline asked. Her questions needed answers even if it meant she had to stop ignoring Klaus for a while.

"Lovely little place called Mystic Falls," Klaus said with a small chuckle. Caroline did not get the joke but wasn't about to ask him to explain it.

"And what are we doing here?" Caroline questioned.

She was half expecting Klaus to tell her to stop with the questions but while he rudely rolled her eyes in her direction he continued to answer her.

"Catching up with an old friend," he told her mysteriously.

Caroline realized she wasn't going to get much out of him. She was just happy to be breathing fresh air again. She took a long, deep breath and exhaled slowly. When he offered her his arm to get on land she even took it. She would be smart about this. She would play along with his little games but as soon as a chance to escape presented itself she would take it. It did not matter that she was far away from home and had no idea to get back. She simply had to get away.

Once they reached the dock they were joined by five other men that Caroline immediately recognized to be pirates. She only knew Stefan in the group but perhaps that had something to do with her having been locked in a cell and unable to socialize with the rest of the crew. Maybe her imprisonment had been a blessing in disguise.

She tried to catch Stefan's eyes in hopes of a hint about what was going on – or at the very least a friendly smile to calm her nerves – but he was doing his best to ignore her. Caroline did her best to ignore how much it hurt her. He was a pirate, after all. His claim that he had once been something else had made Caroline like him even more but it seemed that their friendship did not reach past the cell.

"Caroline, meet Elijah, Kol, Finn, Damon…" at each name his hand waved towards one of the men. "And you have already had the pleasure of meeting Stefan, of course," no one gave Caroline much of a welcome and Klaus continued before anyone had a chance to say anything.

"Let's get going," Klaus exclaimed excitedly which left an air of pending danger hanging around them. Klaus suddenly pulled Caroline close and brought his lips to her ear. "You would do well not to run," he whispered so quietly that no one else could hear but with enough malice to make sure Caroline understood that it was not merely a request. If she tried to run something much worse than a prison cell would await her.

Caroline gulped. Before she had a chance to think through her options everyone was moving and Caroline was forced to tread along. She marveled at the fact that no one even looked up from what they were doing as the group of pirates marched forward. People were scurrying out of the way as they came and not even the guards dared to point their weapons in their direction. Caroline did not understand. Were the pirates surrounding her more dangerous than she had thought?

They walked for quite a while and soon Caroline became bored of wondering why no one stopped to protest. Instead she started looking at the men around her.

The one with the eye patch Klaus had called Kol looked youngest of the lot and Caroline thought he might not be much older than her. He had a mischievous glint in the one eye and a grin that had not faltered from his lips once. But the grin was devilish rather than sweet. Stefan looked serious and kept his hands at his weapon and his eyes searched the crowds of people for any sign of danger. The man named Damon who was walking next to Stefan had dark hair and blue eyes. The first few buttons of his white shirt were unbuttoned and he was casually swinging his pistol around. One of the other men strongly resembled the one with the eye patch only he had to be several years older. He had a few scars adorning his face but other than that he looked remarkably well cut for a pirate. Caroline had to rake her brain for a while before she remembered Klaus saying his name was Elijah. It was an odd name, she thought. The one called Finn was walking a few steps behind the rest of the group. Caroline only dared sneak a glance at him once because he looked both tense and mean.

Then there was Klaus. Captain Klaus. Somehow she had managed to fool herself into thinking he was a good man. He had spared her life the first time they had met and she had never heard of a pirate doing such a thing. But he had treated her with nothing but disrespect and malice since he had rescued her from the sea.

But he had rescued her. The thought kept coming back to her and she continued to wonder why. Now and then she would find herself doubting him and think he had just made it up. But for some reason she could not explain Caroline believed him. He was a terrible man and she would gladly watch him hanged but she couldn't bring herself to doubt that he had indeed pulled her from the brink of death like he had said.

Caroline's confusing thoughts were cut short as they came to an abrupt stop. They were standing outside a beautiful house, further away from the rest of the village. Caroline still had no idea what they were doing there but from the satisfied look on Klaus' face it could not be anything good.

"Get ye weapons ready, mates!" he ordered and everyone around her pulled out a sword or a pistol. "We're going in."

Klaus practically strutted up the few steps leading to the front door and then – earning a surprised gasp from Caroline – he kicked the door in.

"Sister dearest!" Klaus called into the extravagant home. "Come say hello!"

It seemed as if everyone had forgotten Caroline was there but at the moment she had no intention of running. Maybe it was her nerves or the curiosity getting the best of her but she stood glued to the floor of the home that now lacked a front door.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting steps could be heard from the stairs. Caroline could not resist straining her neck to get a good look at who was walking towards them. When she caught sight of the familiar blonde she almost choked on her own breath.

Rebekah was striding towards them with a look of outmost determination on her pretty face. Too late did Caroline realize she was gaping and quickly closed her mouth. The only thing she had told Klaus was that a girl named Rebekah had stolen her necklace. She had given him a name. Not even a surname to go by but a simple and common first name that could belong to anyone. How had he managed to find her?

His previous words came back to her in a flash. _Sister. _Rebekah was his sister.

"Hello brothers," Rebekah spoke making Caroline even more confused. Brothers? As in more than one? "And you brought Stefan and Damon as well."

"I figured we'd take a walk down memory lane," this time she probably should have been expecting it but Caroline still let out a surprised squeal when Klaus' hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her up to the front. "I brought an old friend of yours."

The look of utter shock that crossed Rebekah's face was impossible to miss. The blonde did her best to appear unimpressed but the moment she caught sight of Caroline her jaw clenched and her eyes grew dark.

Klaus had obviously noticed the change in his sister as well because his sinister smirk only grew.

"I assume by that look on your face you know exactly why we're here," his teasing comment earned an approving chuckle from one of his men. "Come on down darling; give your brother a hug."

Caroline could clearly see the battle Rebekah must be fighting inside her head. Finally after a moment of heavy silence she began moving down the stairs. Caroline stared at her, willing her to look her way, but Rebekah's eyes were focused on Klaus. She could not help but feel for her old friend and did not want her to end up hurt even though he had turned out to be a thief and a liar.

"You will not find it," Rebekah said and Caroline had to admire her for keeping her voice loud and clear. She knew from experience that her own voice would have been shaking and quivering had the roles been reversed. "It's hidden."

Caroline's eyes darted between the two siblings. She was expecting Klaus to wrap his hand around Rebekah's throat and demand her to tell him everything the way he had with Caroline. To her surprise he only grinned widely and wickedly.

"You forget Bekah," he started. "I can always tell when you're lying," his hand reached towards the blonde's neck and Caroline was ready to scream. But then his fingers wrapped around the delicate chain hanging around Rebekah's neck and pulled out the necklace that had dipped into her cleavage.

Klaus pulled it from her neck, the chain ripping as he roughly tore it away from her and the all too familiar medallion dangled from the broken chain.

His mouth opened as if he was about to spit out a snarky comment. Then many things happened all at once.

Klaus whipped his sword out and turned around so quickly not even his fellow brothers were prepared for it. They quickly wiped the surprised look of their faces and turned around to face the introducers that sprinted through the knocked down doors seconds later.

At least ten men charged forward. An arm pushed Caroline into a wall causing the whole world to start spinning. The sound of metal clinking against metal that she had come to known as swords battling each other roared through the house. A few pistol shots went off and Caroline pushed herself down to the ground to keep from getting hit by a bullet.

The fighting continued to blossom around her. Caroline picked her head up from the ground to try and get an idea of what was going on. The pirates battling each other could have been dancing had it not been for the cries of pain and swear words that echoed around them now and then. A body fell down next to her causing her to scream and she crawled away from it as fast as she could.

That's when she saw it.

Her necklace had been dropped to the ground and somehow it had managed not to get squashed by one of the many boots jumping all over the place. Her hand reached out and snatched it up before quickly tucking it away in her dress.

She was about to continue her crawling towards the door when a kicking foot went straight for her head and she blacked out.


	6. V

"Come on sweetheart, time to wake up."

Once again Caroline found herself lying on the deck of the ship after just having been brought back to consciousness. The moment her eyes fluttered open the pain in her head began to make itself known and she groaned softly.

"There we go," the voice spoke again. Caroline blinked a few times to make the blurry mess that was her surroundings come into focus. Finally she realized that the person leaning over her was no one other than Klaus. "Seems like I can't take my eyes off you for a second or you almost get yourself killed," his eyes were dancing with amusement and Caroline's defense mechanism immediately kicked in at the sight of him laughing at her.

"I did not almost get myself killed," she shot back at him. She refused to acknowledge the painful throbbing in her head out loud but scrambled into a sitting position. It didn't make things much better and only made her feel dizzy.

"Take it easy, love," Klaus warned her. "You don't want to try any sudden movements."

The fact that he was telling her what to do – and in what sounded like a concerned voice, none the less – made Caroline burn with fury. He was not allowed to act like he cared for her wellbeing. It didn't matter that he had saved her life once. He was a pirate and she was not going to listen to his orders.

She straightened herself up a little more but reluctantly followed his advice by doing so slowly. It seemed that pirates wore heavy boots that made quite an impact when they crashed against someone's head. Her eyes darted around herself and she realized that everyone that had been on the little adventure was standing around them.

Caroline was surprised to find that they had brought Rebekah along. Kol had a firm grip around her upper arm and while she was glowering at him she made no move to escape. The new piece of information that this seemed to be a giant family gathering was still making her head spin more than it already was.

"Has no one ever taught you pirates not to fight a man when he's down? It's cowardly," Caroline huffed, mostly because the silence pressing down on all of them was making her highly uncomfortable.

Someone in the group laughed but Caroline wasn't able to catch who so her deathly glared was directed at Klaus.

"Pirates don't fight by morals. That's what makes us pirates," Klaus replied simply. "Now, if you could be so kind to hand over the necklace."

Caroline tried – and failed miserably – to keep the surprise off her face. The fact that she had managed to grab the necklace from the floor was supposed to have gone unnoticed by everyone in the chaos. She had been sure that no one had seen it happen. Apparently, she had been wrong.

Her eyes scanned the deck quickly and her tongue darted out to lick her lips nervously. Her chance at escaping had gone through the window when she blacked out. The only way she had out was the necklace. It was her leverage and she wasn't about to just hand it over.

"Come on now," Klaus prodded. "If you don't give it to me I'll be forced to take it from you," the threat hung between them and Caroline nodded slowly. Her hand reached towards the small space in her dress she had stuffed the necklace into. Every eye on deck was glued to her.

Quicker than she had thought possible Caroline jumped into a standing position and threw herself towards the railing. She had the necklace out and dangling over the side of the boat in less than a second.

Fierce determination was etched across Caroline's features and she raised her chin defiantly. Her head was spinning along with her stomach from the sudden movements but she pushed those feelings away.

Caroline ignored Rebekah's surprised gasp, the look of warning flashing across Stefan's face or the way every jaw seemed to have fallen to the ground. She stared straight into Klaus' eyes and tried not to recoil at the sight of him.

His eyes were burning with a fury that looked like it belonged in hell. His face was twisted into an expression of pure madness. If looks could have killed she would have been dead the moment his eyes locked with hers.

"Don't doubt for a second that I won't kill you," Klaus' voice rang out dangerously but she was pleased to note that he hadn't moved a muscle.

Every single person on deck was watching her but no one had dared to make a move in her direction. Caroline daringly raised an eyebrow and let the delicate chain slide down a bit. She grabbed on right before it had a chance to fall into the ocean.

"Don't doubt for a second that I won't drop it," Caroline called back, using his own words against him.

Had the gravity of the situation not been the one thing on her mind Caroline would have felt proud of herself for what she was doing. She was taking control of her life and going up against a pirate. She wasn't sure whether she was being brave or foolish but it still felt good.

The silence stretched out while Caroline and Klaus stared daggers at each other. She could see his mind working to find a way to get the necklace from her without risking her dropping it into the crashing waves. Caroline's lips quirked upwards in a smirk worthy of Klaus himself and he growled in response.

"What do you want?" he finally demanded and he actually flinched as the words left him. Apparently he was more of a taker than a giver.

She had won. Caroline could feel it and the smirk turn into a pleased smile.

"I want to go home," she said simply.

Klaus snorted dismissively as if her request was the most foolish thing he had ever heard of.

"Not possible sweetheart," he drawled.

Caroline had to keep herself from stomping her foot again the floor. He was supposed to give her what she wanted now! She was supposed to finally wake up from this nightmare and return to her normal life.

"Then I'll drop it," she threatened.

He stared at her, daring her to make the move. Caroline caught her lower lip between her teeth and nervously surveyed the small crowd that had gathered around. The ship was already sailing away from port and everyone that wasn't on duty had gathered to look at the little show she was putting on.

They continued the staring match they had started earlier. Klaus' eyes bore into hers and he might as well have been standing close enough to kiss her – the stare was so piercing.

"You can't go home. Name another price," he finally glowered.

"I want to go home!" Caroline did not care that she sounded like a spoiled child. The snickers around her did not even make her blush. "Just let me go and I'll give you the necklace!"

"You stupid girl," Klaus barked. "You can't go home. You know too much. The moment you set foot in your precious home you'll be ripped away by someone far worse than me. You will be begging to be back in my cell when he's done with you."

The words were coated in something caught between fear and admiration. Caroline took a deep breath to steady herself. She didn't want to be afraid of this strange danger he was speaking of but she couldn't help herself. For the same reason she had believed him when he told her he was the one who saved her Caroline found herself unable to cast his words aside as lies. The dread in his voice was too real.

"Fine," she gave in. She wasn't sure whether she was being stupid for not pressing the matter or smart for listening to his warning. "I'll stay. But you have to teach me how to fight," her final demand made eyebrows rise but she held her head up high.

The only person that did not look the least bit surprised was Klaus. His lips had quirked into an amused grin and all the previous anger had been wiped away. Well, almost. His eyes still seemed to be reeking with it.

"Fighting isn't very lady like," he teased which earned a round of laughter.

"If I'm going to be stuck with a bunch of pirates and get attacked on a daily basis I need to know how to fight back," Caroline snapped. She did not enjoy being laughed at. There had been enough of that already. "Teach me how to wield a sword and I'll give you the necklace."

Klaus, who was more on ease now that she had offered him a deal he was willing to accept, took a few long strides forward. Caroline did her best to stand her ground as he stopped right in front of her but her hands shook slightly no matter how hard she tried.

"How will I be sure you won't wield the sword against me, eh?" he asked quietly but he still looked amused.

"You'll just have to trust me," was all Caroline offered.

"I don't trust," Klaus said honestly. "But you have a deal."

He extended his hand. Instead of placing her own hand in it Caroline pulled the necklace back and slapped it against his hand. She did not miss the breath of relief he took as she did so.

"So what's so important with my necklace?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her. "It doesn't go very well with your clothes," she added just for the sake of it.

"It's not a necklace," he said, completely ignoring her dig. "It's a compass."

Caroline's eyes widened as he pulled out a knife from his belt and used it to crack open the medallion. Over the years Caroline had tried to crack open the medallion more than a few times. She had broken every nail on her fingers while trying but had never succeeded. Apparently she ought to have tried with a knife.

Where she had assumed there was nothing but a hole was a compass.

She was so surprised to find that the necklace she had worn almost religiously for so many years was something completely different than she had thought it was that she almost missed the tiny detail of a rather heavy compass already hanging from his belt.

But Caroline had always been good with details. Her father called her a control-freak, she just said she liked to be neat.

"You already have a compass," she said. "What do you need that one for?"

"Because, sweet Caroline… this is a very special compass," he was staring at the compass with a look of possession Caroline had only seen in the eyes of a man deeply in love with a woman. It was unnerving, to say the least. "According to legend there once was a pirate who was looking for an extraordinary treasure that had been hidden away from mankind for centuries. Desperate to find the treasure the pirate found a powerful witch that could put a spell on his compass to locate it. But the spell was very complicated and took a long time to perform. While the two of them worked side by side to complete the spell the witch fell in love with the pirate. When she revealed the nature of her true feelings for him he broke her heart by telling her he would never love a woman like he loved the sea. The witch, like all women, was very temperamental and did not take his rejection well. He broke her heart so she ripped his out of his chest. The spell was only partly finished when she threw away the compass. Since then it's been passed along as nothing but a necklace, unable to do what it was once meant to."

Klaus' words were loud enough for everyone to hear but for some reason Caroline felt as if he was speaking to her and her only. It took a moment before she was able to pull herself out of the trance his story had put her in.

Caroline looked down on the compass. It was spinning widely but never settled on one cardinal point. In all her days she had never come across anything magic. She had heard stories of it. Bonnie, especially, liked to speak of it. Her maid would often tell her about the great witches of the olden times. But Caroline had never once believed any of the stories were actually true.

But the fact was that in the course of a few days Caroline's life had changed drastically. Everything she had ever known had been ripped away from her and all the morals and knowledge she held had been questioned. She could not help but think that the existence of magic was not much of a stretch.

"So what you have is a piece of trash that can't do what you want it to?" Caroline finally asked her eyebrows quirking upwards and a daring smirk playing on her lips.

She had expected him to refuse to answer her question entirely or shoot some nasty remark her way. Instead, his whole face shining with glee he said:

"No, what I have is a treasure beyond anything any pirate could wish for that will do exactly what I want it to once I find a witch to finish the spell. Luckily, I know exactly where to get one of those."

Caroline licked her lips nervously but tried to keep her game face on. She had to at least attempt to look as if she knew exactly what she was doing.

"And what do you want this compass to show you?" she asked.

Klaus leaned forward. She could feel his breath against her skin and his lips just barely brushed across her skin before being brought up to her ear. His whisper sent shivers down her spine for all the wrong reasons.

"A weapon."

**. . . **

**A/N ****Okay I have like a million things to say now. **

**First of all, WOW. I can't believe this story has more than 100 reviews! It makes me all giddy inside. You guys are amazing. **

**Second, I'm really really nervous about this chapter because it's a bit of a reveal. And I'm scared it's not what you guys expected it to be or wanted it to be. So I hope I didn't disappoint you. **

**Third, yes this does mean that magic exists in this verse. Vampires, werewolves and all other TVD creatures do not, however. This is mainly about humans. **

**Fourthly (yeah that's probably not even a word) yes the chapter has a lot of Pirates of the Caribbean feels to it. I wanted to point that out myself so you guys know I'm veyr much aware where my inspiration comes from. Not trying to steal ideas from anyone! The part about Caroline threatening to drop the necklace is from the first of the movies where Elizabeth threatens to drop the skull thingy. Obviously, yes okay. **

**I THINK THAT'S IT. If not I'll get back to you guys with more of my crazy ramblings in the next chapter.**


	7. VI

**A/N Quick update because I love you guys! A lot. More than I love cookies. This chapter is dedicated to Tanya and Lulu because they're too nice to me and their compliments make me blush and feel like a butterfly. **

* * *

Klaus had barked out a new set of directions to Finn and left his eldest brother no chance to ask why they were heading to the town of Fells Church. Klaus trusted his brother only when he had his eyes glued to the back of his head and knew that he was not going to run off and try to get them all killed.

He had now retreated back to his quarters to go through the plan and the steps that lay ahead of him. Part of him wanted to be the one with his hands on the wheel but he needed to make sure he had everything sorted before he did.

He always had to be one step ahead.

Klaus was facing the wall where one of the prized possessions he had stolen from an old lord hung. The painting was worth more gold than he could steal from one whole town but Klaus had no desire to sell the painting. The woman on the canvas was beautiful but the dark, twisted sea behind her was what Klaus enjoyed about it.

He did not turn around when he heard the door opening behind him. He stayed with his back against the door and his hands locked behind his back. Klaus had a feeling he knew exactly whom had just entered.

"What do you want us to do with the prisoners?" Elijah asked.

"Dead men tell no tales," Klaus shrugged easily. "Kill them all."

He could feel Elijah's hesitation without even looking at him. With a deep sigh Klaus turned around to face his brother.

"Shouldn't we question them first?"

"No," Klaus said with a note of finality. "They won't tell us anything we don't already know. Kill them all."

Elijah gave him a curt nod and made a movement as if to leave but stopped in the middle of it. Klaus waited impatiently while his brother worked up the courage to say what was on his heart.

"And the girl?" he finally asked. He gave Klaus a look that caused the latter's eyes to narrow. "You said so yourself, she knows too much."

Klaus was well aware that his brother was right but that did not mean he liked to hear it. In fact, Elijah's words only made him angry. He knew what he had said and did not need anyone to repeat his words back to him. He was also well aware that Caroline was a bit of a … risk. He should have thrown her over board the moment he got a hold of the necklace.

The worst part he was not sure why he hadn't.

"Don't worry about her," Klaus finally answered. "I'll take care of that."

He had no idea how he planned to take care of it but he knew he wouldn't let anyone else do it. Klaus didn't know why but he was desperate to keep Caroline safe. He told himself it was because he had already saved her twice and did not want his work to be a waste but a small voice in the back of his head snorted at the excuse. A voice he brutally pushed back into a dark corner where it remained quiet.

Elijah nodded again but he didn't seem very convinced with Klaus' promise. He knew better than to say anything though.

"Was there anything else?" Klaus asked impatiently. He didn't want the company of anyone at the moment and if Elijah didn't leave on his own he'd have no problem kicking him out.

"The compass," the words fell from Elijah's mouth and as if he hadn't meant for them to. "Will it really lead us to the weapon?"

Klaus narrowed his eyes. He knew he could trust Elijah. His brother had proven his loyalty to him over and over again. But Klaus did not take trust lightly. This compass and the plan that went with it had to work. If it didn't – Klaus did not want to think of the consequences. Elijah was smart and Klaus would need him by his side during this. Maybe he'd have to hand out a little more trust than he'd like to.

"Yes," he said simply. "Once we get the witch to finish the spell the compass will lead us to the weapon," Klaus could no longer keep the glee off his face. "This is it brother. This is how we kill Mikael."

Elijah – always the pessimist – still looked unconvinced but there was hope in his eyes. There was nothing any of them wanted more than seeing Mikael dead.

"Then let's find the witch."

_With a loud roar Klaus raised his sword above his head and threw himself at his opponent. The older man replied by blocking the blow with his own sword and the sound of metal meeting metal echoed in their ears._

_They continued their dangerous dance around each other. Each deadly blow Klaus delivered was stopped by Mikael's blade. Every time Mikael parried his blade against Klaus the younger pirate was able to prevent the blade from cutting him with his own weapon._

_They continued to duel. Their feet worked in circles around each other. Their swords met over and over again, above their heads, below their knees and constantly _almost_ managing to scratch their opponent's skin. But every time one of them got close to the others heart they were stopped a mere second away._

_"You will never beat me!" Klaus growled from where he was standing. The two men continued to circle each other in the small space._

_"Always so arrogant," Mikael snarled. "That will be the death of you, boy."_

_He raised his sword and delivered a hard cut blow towards Klaus who managed to block it again. The sound of their swords battling against each other rang around them, roaring on the fight like a cheering crowd._

_"If I were you I'd worry about your own life," Klaus spat._

_"Why? Because you plan to kill me?" Mikael did not snort of chuckle but there was something close to amusement dancing in his eyes. The sight only made Klaus angrier. "You are nothing but a bastard. Not even my children that you have following your every command care for you. Mark my words Niklaus, you will die and when you do the world will be cheering. Not even your own mother loved you."_

_The harsh words cut at Klaus worse than any blade could and his eyes clouded with tears. He quickly blinked them away, refusing to show weakness in front of his enemy. But the moment of hesitation gave Mikael the opportunity he had been waiting for._

_His sword swung towards Klaus who only just managed to dodge it. But the sharp steel still managed to scrape the skin of his arm so sharply it drew blood. Klaus bit down as the pain shot through him. He made a final attempt to get a blow in but Mikael's sword met his in the middle._

_For a moment father and son stood close, their strength battling as their swords pushed against each other. Klaus glared at Mikael. He tried to put all the hatred he had felt all these years in that one look but was not sure he got Mikael got the message. Blood was still streaming down his arm. _

_"You will die!" he finally screamed, rage consuming him. With those three words Klaus ducked so that Mikael's sword missed him and he ran._

_Mikael's screaming voice followed him. The word coward was etched into his mind even when it could no longer be heard._

Elijah had left the room. Klaus' fingers itched to wrap around a sword and drive it through someone's heart. He wanted to rip someone's life away with his own hands. A low growl left his throat and Klaus pulled up the arm of his shirt to stare at the deep, ugly scar the fight with Mikael had left there.

His hand curled into a fist and punched through the painting he had just been admiring. He watched the expensive art work rip as his fist went through it. The feeling of ruining something only left him feeling slightly better about himself.

Klaus knew that the only thing that would be enough was watching Mikael take his last, final breath.

…

Caroline had been moved from the prison cell she had currently been residing in. She had hoped it was because they were trying to be nice to her but quickly realized they needed room to put the other prisoners in. She was now stuck in a small room with a locked door. It was only a slightly better upgrade from her cell.

At least she hadn't been told to grab a hammock and sleep with the other pirates. That would have been a lot worse.

When she had first been showed to the room she had tried to lie down and get some rest. Sleeping in a bed would be nice for a change and her body was both tense and tired from everything that had happened. But she only managed to keep her eyes shut for a brief moment before her fingers impatiently started tapping against the bed sheets and her foot begun moving up and down.

Caroline jumped out of bed with an irritated growl. What had she done to deserve this hell? Not only was she being held against her will by a group of rowdy pirates she was also unable to get a good rest.

She walked up to the small vanity that was placed in the corner. She briefly wondered why they would need a vanity where only men resided. A small giggle escaped her at the thought of one of the pirates fixing their hair in front of it.

Tilting her head slightly to the side Caroline stared at her reflection. Her blonde her was dirty and lay matted against her head. Her face had lost its rosy color and she looked pale and thin. Obviously the bread and water diet was not doing her any favors nor was the lack of baths. But her light eyes were shining with a force she had never seen in them before. While she didn't look like the pretty lady she always strived to be there was something strong about her.

With an irritated huff Caroline straightened up. It didn't matter that her looks had changed. She was still stuck in a room with no idea what was happening or what her future held.

Because there was nothing else she could do she started pacing impatiently back and forth. While pacing she let a number of foul words leave her in hurried whispers. She couldn't even bring herself to feel bad for using such profanities.

Caroline was no longer scared that someone might try to kill her any second or that she was meant to be eaten for dinner. She was too bored and restless for any of those practical thoughts.

Suddenly the door was pushed open and Caroline quickly whipped around to face the intruder. To her surprise she found Klaus standing in the doorway. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"What do _you_ want?" Caroline asked.

"Actually I'm here about what _you _want," Klaus said with a smirk on his lips. Caroline was beginning he considered it his trademark.

"What are you talking about?"

"You wanted to learn how to use a sword. I'm here to teach you," Klaus explained, sounding far too amused for Caroline's liking.

"You're teaching me?" Caroline questioned.

"Don't look so disappointed, love. I'm the best."

Caroline rolled her eyes. She had expected Stefan to be the one to teach her. He was, after all, the only person who had been nice to her. The others hadn't actually spoken to her.

"Fine," Caroline said. "Let's do this then."

Klaus chuckled which made Caroline glare at him.

"I'm not teaching you how to fence in here. We're going up on deck," he held his arm out towards the door, indicating for her to come with him but Caroline stayed put.

"On deck… where everyone can see?" she asked nervously. She couldn't help it. Caroline was insecure by nature and even if it meant embarrassing herself in front of a bunch of pirates she still would rather not.

"Yes, on deck where everyone can see," Klaus said and he was starting to sound impatient. "Now I happen to be the captain of this ship so I don't have all day. Either you come with me now or you'll have to fight with a stick."

Caroline kept her glaring up for another second before giving up. As much as she hated it she had to do as he said. She was in desperate need to learn how to fight and defend herself. Truth to be told he was most likely the best person to do it. Of course, that didn't mean she liked him any better.

She stalked up the up to the deck and did her best to ignore his chuckles that followed her.

The ship was in motion which meant it was crowded with the crew. Caroline had never understood what sailing a ship meant and had no clue what half the men were doing. Some were scrubbing the floor while others were pulling heavy ropes and a few were just strolling around whistling awful sounding tunes. Caroline came to a stop in the doorway that lead out to the deck and waited for Klaus to tell her what to do.

Klaus came up behind her less than a second after she had stopped and she could feel his body standing too close to hers.

"Scatter!" his loud voice made Caroline jump but she quickly realized he wasn't speaking to her. The men that had been scrubbing the deck or walking around jumped up and ran the other way. Caroline turned around to face Klaus who had a proud smirk on his face.

"Why do you have such a need to prove you're the alpha male?" she asked. The question was only partly made to insult him. She couldn't help but be a bit curious of his behavior. It irked her beyond belief that she cared what he did or how he acted but she couldn't help it.

"I don't have to prove anything love," he whispered, his lips so close to her ear his breath tickled her skin. "I am the alpha male."

He placed his hand on the small of her back and gave her a gentle push. Caroline stumbled forward but managed to regain her balance rather quickly.

"Here you go," Klaus said before she had a chance to complain. He was handing her a sword.

Nervously Caroline grabbed the sword. It was a lot heavier than she had expected and she almost dropped it. But Caroline was intent on succeeding so she got a stronger grasp around the hilt of the sword and held it up in front of her.

"First lesson," Klaus began. "That is not how you hold a sword."

Klaus took a few steps forward and reached out. His hands clasped onto her shoulders and he quickly turned her around so that her back was facing him. He was standing so close Caroline could feel his chest press against her back. Slowly Klaus' hands began move down her arms until they reached her hands that were suddenly holding on to the sword for dear life.

"Here, let me," Klaus said quietly and loosened her left hand from its grip. He pulled it down the sword even slower than he had traced his hands across her arms and she could feel a blush creep onto her skin at what was going through his head as he watched her hand run across the thick blade. When her left hand was gripping the very end of the sword his attention turned to her right hand. He moved it upwards so that there was a rather wide space between her hands and pulled at each of her fingers until he was satisfied with where they were placed. "There," he took a step backwards and Caroline let out a breath.

She wasn't sure why her whole body was tingling and was in no need to find out why. Instead of thinking any more about the way her body reacted to having his so close she turned around to face him.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Put one foot in front of the other," Klaus instructed and as she did was she was told he did the same thing. "Bring the sword up in front of you," Caroline did as she was told. "Now, defend yourself."

Without a warning Klaus' sword came down upon her. Reflexes she had no idea she had caused her to swing her sword to the right, blocking his strike.

"Are you crazy?!" she screamed. "You could have killed me!"

"Now love… when I jab you with my sword, you'll feel it*," Klaus grinned. "You're doing well. Keep your feet wide apart when you swing at me and move around. If you stand still I'll hit you faster."

Caroline had no time to argue that his teaching tactics were horrible. She had only just arranged her body in the correct way when he swung at her again. Caroline managed to block the blow once again, angling her sword the way his was coming from.

They started up a dance. Caroline jumped from left to right and brought her sword along with her as he tried to strike her. Now and then he would yell out a piece of advice and she found that everything he said was actually helping. With a loud laugh Caroline swung at him right after she had blocked his latest attempt to hit her with his blade. It was the first attack rather than protection.

Klaus was caught off guard by her sudden change of heart and while he managed to block her blow easily his eyes had widened slightly and the grin on his lips was growing.

"Good girl," he yelled, his words echoing with laughter.

With laughter and excitement dancing across her face Caroline leapt forward in what was supposed to be a perfect attack. Instead, her foot got caught at the hem of her dress and she fell forward. Her hands let go of the sword that clashed to the ground and her mouth opened in terror. She fell straight into the arms of Klaus who had quickly thrown his sword next to hers so that he'd be able to catch her.

Caroline's body was pressed against his and her hands had ended up placed on his chest. She could feel his heart beating and what seemed to be a very well defined set of muscles against her hands. Caroline gulped nervously and looked up. He was staring down at her through blonde lashes. Caroline stared back, her lips parted to say the word 'thank you' but she remained silent and didn't move.

Klaus' hands kept a firm grip around her body to keep her from falling. For some reason the pirate was unable to focus on anything other than her pink lips that were dangerously close to his. If he were to lean forward he would be able to claim them with his own. Thoughts of running his hands all over her body flashed through his mind and his eyes hungrily took her in. Her breasts were not only much more visible in his choice of attire but pressed up against his body.

In the end, he was the one who broke the trance. Klaus cleared his throat and gently pushed her away before taking a step back. Caroline suddenly felt embarrassed and diverted her eyes from his searching glance.

"The next lesson will be how to keep your balance," she could hear the humor in his voice but refused to look up to find him matching it with a smirk. "And I suppose we'll have to get you out of that dress too," he added and the comment brought a giggle from Caroline.

After Caroline had changed into a more appropriate attire ("I feel like a boy!" she complained) Klaus continued to teach her how to fight. Every time someone interrupted them Klaus would glare at them until they turned around and practically fled and he seemed to have forgotten entirely about the captain duties he had been speaking of earlier.

By the time they were done the sky was dark, Caroline had scraped both of her knees and her stomach hurt from laughing.

* * *

_* When I jab you with my sword, you'll know is a line from Once Upon A Time spoken by the oh so witty Captain Hook!_


	8. VII

Tortuga was a place you knew of whether you were a pirate or not. The only difference was what you thought of it.

Pirates loved it. It was a place where they had no need to worry that some uptight brat with a large wig would try to hang a noose around their neck and pull. They could drink rum, sing their songs and dance on top of tables as much as they wanted to. Not to mention the women. Tortuga was filled with easy going ladies who were willing to take off their dress for a lot less than a charming smile. Tortuga was a heaven for those who deserved hell.

If one wasn't a pirate Tortuga wasn't the ideal traveling spot. Caroline had heard more horror stories of the island than she had of actual pirates. It was rowdy, dark and sinful. Deaths occurred every other five minutes because someone drank a little too much and felt the need to pull out their pistol and prove they knew how to use it. It was a dangerous place to be.

The ship had docked on their way to the strange place Caroline still had not found out anything more about. The moment Klaus had let them all go with a lazy wave of his hand the crew had scattered and Caroline did not want to know what they were doing. She kept close to Klaus and his small possy that seemed to follow him wherever he went. Stefan and who she had found out was his brother Damon was among them and so was Klaus' two brothers Kol and Elijah.

"I'll never get used to the sight of a woman in pants," Damon snarled from where he was standing, his eyes taking Caroline's body in what distaste.

Caroline bit down to keep from grimacing in embarrassment at his brutal honesty. Truth to be told she felt extremely uncomfortable in her new attire and wasn't sure she would ever get used to it herself. The pants were loose and allowed her a lot more room to move around but they felt too revealing and improper. The flowing, white shirt was too large on her small frame but at least she had been able to button to shield her body from prying eyes.

Before they had left the ship Caroline had made an attempt to grab a sword but Klaus had snorted and slapped her hand away. _"I don't trust you with a sword unless I've got my eyes on you,_" he had told her. _"And I ain't babysitting you all night."_

Caroline felt hopelessly small and defenseless as they walked through the rowdy streets. She could see the pub that was their final destination. The dark, dirty streets were crowded with loud, rowdy pirates who were either singing obscene songs or yelling even worse things at each other. She even spotted a few women, standing in corners, batting their eyelashes in what was obviously supposed to be a seductive way. Their blatant sexuality made Caroline blush.

"Be quiet Damon," Klaus retorted before Caroline had a chance to answer. "I need a drink before I can listen to your incessant whining."

To Caroline's delight a sour look fell across Damon's face and he shut his mouth. The five pirates and the maiden dressed in their clothes stepped into the pub. Caroline had to resist the urge to cover her ears with her hands. The pub was bursting with noise and activity. Men were knocking their glasses against the bar counter, demanding more drinks. Heavy wooden legs were tapping away against the floor in a crazy sort of dance. There was music Caroline had never heard in her life vibrating off every surface coming from nothing but the mouths of the people in there. Manners seemed to have blown through the window along with the stool someone had just thrown through it because several pairs were furiously kissing, their hands roaming across each other's bodies in a most private way.

The shock and amazement must have been evident on Caroline's face because when Klaus turned around to face her he looked highly amused.

"Tortuga at its best," Klaus said and his tongue darted out to lick his lips slowly. "Let's drink, gentlemen!" he then proceeded to yell which earned him a round of applause and an approving round of "hear hear!"'s from those sitting close enough to hear him.

As if it had been an order the men around Caroline began striding towards the bar. Because she had no desire to be left alone she quickly followed them. She was beginning to wish she had stayed at the ship. But for some reason the thought of being all alone on a pirate ship was scarier than this.

"Here you go," Stefan had appeared next to her with a friendly smile. He was holding two dirty glasses filled with dark amber liquid. "If you're planning to get through the night you might want some liquid courage."

Caroline glared suspiciously at the drink. She still remembered the foul taste from last time she had drunk it. Not to mention Stefan had not entirely earned his way back into her good graces yet.

"I suppose you're right," she finally said. She was wearing pants surrounded by pirates; having a drink seemed like the next logical step.

Caroline raised the glass and Stefan did the same thing; clinking his glass to hers with a small smile. Caroline returned the smile and raised the glass to her lips. The moment the alcohol hit her lips she wished she hadn't. The taste was foul and her throat felt as if it was on fire when it made its way down her throat.

She grimaced and opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out to show exactly how disgusting it had been.

"Keep drinking, it'll start to taste better," Stefan laughed before raising his own glass and drowning all of it in one fluid motion.

"Well, well, well…" all of the sudden Damon was standing next to his brother, staring down at Caroline with a mixture of interest and threat. "I see you're dropping the lady act entirely," he said and nodded towards the glass in her hand. "I'd applaud you but I doubt you can even finish off that glass."

There was no mistaking his words for what they truly were; a challenge. And if there was one thing Caroline Forbes had never backed away from it was that. She glared up at the elder Salvatore and her eyes still locked with his she chugged the rest of the rum like she had seen Stefan do only a moment ago.

Only it had seemed easy and smooth when he had done it. The idea of proving Damon wrong might have been a good one but it didn't turn out so pretty. Caroline only had time to put the glass down before she was spluttering and coughing from the disgusting taste. Her throat was on fire and her stomach was spinning around in circles so fast it was making her dizzy.

"Nice try Blondie," Damon snickered. He gave her an almost friendly but not quite pat on the shoulder before stalking off towards a group of scandalously dressed women.

"Ugh," Caroline groaned the moment he was out of earshot. A warm, tingly feeling was spreading through her body and she could feel it growing from the tip of her toes to the ends of her fingers. A small giggled escaped her and Stefan raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Get me another one!" she demanded, slamming her fist down on the table like so many others were doing around her.

Stefan shook his head at her but did as he was told. This time, when Caroline drowned the entire drink in one, she managed not to double over and only spluttered a bit.

Klaus was watching from afar as Caroline drowned two glasses of rum in row. She had a third glass sitting in front of her but had yet to touch it. Instead her hand was on top of Stefan's and she was leaning in closely to listen to whatever _interesting_ story he had to tell.

A low growl rumbled in the depth of Klaus' throat as he watched Caroline throw her head back and laugh at whatever his comrade had said. Stefan was not funny. Klaus felt a strong desire to walk up to the two of them and explain just how boring and brooding Stefan happened to be. Instead he grabbed the bottle he had stolen from behind the bar and took a long swig. His eyes never left the pair.

He could not help the possessive feelings that were taking control of him. Jealousy was probably the best word to describe it with but Klaus wasn't about to go there. Jealousy implied caring and Klaus did not care. He simply did not like others playing with what was his. And Caroline was his whether she knew it or not. He had made her his way he saved her from dying and gave her the chance to continue living.

Klaus very badly wanted everyone in there to understand that.

"I'll never understand that," Kol's voice brought Klaus back to reality but he kept his eyes firmly fixed on Caroline. Kol didn't seem to notice that his brother wasn't listening to what he was saying but tilted his glass towards Damon who had two women sitting in his lap. "Why would anyone prefer that bloody bastard over me? No offense Nik…" Kol sighed dramatically. "Is it because of my eye-patch?"

"It's your turn now!" Caroline giggled at Stefan. "I told you a secret now you tell me one!" her secret had been one she had promised herself that she would take to the grave but the rum had convinced her not to. Now Stefan was one of the two people in the entire world who knew that William Forbes' prized family heirloom had not gone missing with the maid but had in fact been broken by his daughter. "Teeeeeell meeeee…." Caroline sang, dragging the words out as far as she could. "How did you become a pirate?

Surprisingly enough it had turned out that Stefan was quite the drinker. He had knocked back more glasses than Caroline had been able to keep count off since they had gotten there and hadn't furrowed his eyebrows once. The secret he had not been meaning to share with the blonde simply slipped from his lips.

"My brother and I come from a well-off family… lots of money, connections, wigs and all that," Stefan started and Caroline giggled. "We would have had a dandy life I'm sure, our parents already had it all planned out for us. Then… we met Katherine," the fun, drunken atmosphere was gone the instant he said the name. While Caroline did not understand why there was no way she could miss the way his eyes darkened and his hand clenched at his sides. "She had this perfect olive skin. And she had this laugh, it was ridiculous, I mean her laugh would make you laugh. And she was fun, she knew how to have a good time. But, Katherine was also very impatient and entitled and selfish and impulsive. We both fell in love with her. Two brothers fighting over the same girl, that old story," Stefan took a break from his story to take another gulp of the alcohol. It seemed to be what pushed him to speak. "Two months after we had met her Katherine was sentenced to be executed by hanging. She had committed treason against the crown… when we found out we made a grave mistake. We decided we could not live without her. Instead of fighting against each other Damon and I came together and tried to save her. We were caught and thrown away from our home, branded outlaws."

Thankfully Caroline managed to keep her mouth from dropping open as he told his heart-wrenching story. When he was finished his eyes was downcast and he seemed reluctant to look at her. Caroline shook her head slowly.

"Katherine sounds like a wench," Caroline said. "I don't think I'd like her very much."

For some reason the comment was extremely funny. Before they knew why or how the two of them were laughing uncontrollably at the words, both of them grasping their stomachs as they did.

"I think I look handsome even with the eye-patch, wouldn't you say?" Kol's voice was nothing but an annoying humming in Klaus' ears but it still managed to rile him up.

Caroline and Stefan were doubled over laughing about something and Klaus clenched his hands into fist. Before he had really thought about what he was doing he was walking away from the wall and towards the pair. He heard Kol shout something in complaint but as always he ignored him. Klaus walked briskly with determination and stopped when he was behind Caroline.

"Caroline," he said her name smoothly but with such a rough edge her body tensed up when she turned around to face him. "Dance with me."

It was not a request but a demand. Caroline's eyes widened in surprise and she stared down at the hand he had reached out to her. Her eyes darted from his face to his hand. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down gently before finally placing her hand in his.

"Alright."

Klaus led her to the middle of the pub and the makeshift dance floor so quickly she had no time to give Stefan even an apologetic smile. Precisely according to his plan, too. The moment Klaus had her to himself an easy grin spread across his lips and he turned her around easily so that they were facing each other.

A group of men were chanting along to an old tune that had been carried across the seas for centuries. Klaus kept a firm hold around Caroline's hand and placed the other one on her waist.

"I don't know how to dance to this song," Caroline admitted.

"Then it's a good thing we're all pirates here," Klaus chuckled. "We don't have any rules and even when we do we don't play by them."

Before she had a chance to respond Klaus had picked up the tempo and they were dancing. They took a step to the left, to the right, to the left again only to jump up and down a few times and then duck to keep from being hit by a flying glass bottle. Klaus spun her around in circles and tilted her back so far her blonde curls were touching the floor.

The dance was crazy, illogical and lacked any sense of rhythm or repetition. But neither Klaus nor Caroline cared. They threw themselves into their own dance and followed each other's leads as if they had been made to do so.

Klaus pulled his hand away from her waist and raised her arm above her head so she could spin around in a circle. Then, with a sharp pull, Klaus pulled Caroline in so she crushed against his chest.

A round of applause broke out as the men stopped singing and the dancing came to a stop. Caroline was still pressed firmly against Klaus' chest and he was staring down at her. Another song quickly took the place of the other but the duo did not move from their position.

This time Caroline was the one who broke away. She took a step backward from Klaus and cleared her throat nervously. She was still feeling silly and odd from everything she had had to drink and was beginning to wonder if it was affecting her decision making skills.

"We're going back to the ship," Klaus ordered after a terribly awkward moment of silence. "BACK TO THE SHIP!" he proceeded to scream out the order to tell all of his crew members.

As they all walked towards the ship Caroline could not bring herself to listen or watch what was going on around her. She was too busy thinking about the way Klaus' hand had felt on her waist or the way his eyes had soaked in her body while they were dancing that she barely realized they were walking.

They made it to the ship quickly and Caroline boarded last. The alcohol was starting to make its way out of her system but she still felt rather wobbly on her feet. It was as if the rum was pushing her to at least do one embarrassing thing because the moment she placed her foot onto the ship she found herself falling.

Caroline knew before she looked up that the strong arms that had wrapped around her body and saved her from falling head first onto the deck was Klaus'. She could feel her heart racing and her pulse speeding up and knew it had nothing to do with her fall but everything to do with the way his arms were wrapped around her.

"Thank you," Caroline said quietly when she finally looked up to glance at him through her lashes.

"You ought to start watching where you're going," Klaus said and while there was amusement in his voice his eyes were dark and clouded with an emotion she did not recognize. "I won't always be there to save you."

It was in that moment that Caroline realized they were completely alone on deck. No one else was in sight. She gulped nervously.

"Well… for the times you were…" she was trying her best to sound and look the seductive role of one of the Tortuga women but had a feeling she was failing miserably. Her cheeks were bright red and she hoped the darkness around them was doing its job by covering it up.

Caroline raised herself up on the tip of her toes and with a nervous intake of breath she placed a soft kiss on his lips. It was supposed to be a quick peck but faith or destiny or most likely Klaus had other ideas in mind.

The moment Caroline's lips touched his Klaus wrapped his arms tighter around her body so that her chest crashed against his. Before she had a chance to pull away he captured her lips and deepened the kiss.

Their lips moved against each other in a hurried frenzy. It was as if they hadn't had water for days and the others lips was the way to keep from dying of thirst. Klaus caught her lower lip with his teeth and nibbled roughly on it causing Caroline to gasp in both surprise and pleasure. He took the chance to invade her mouth with his tongue and was met with a soft moan from the lady.

Their tongues battled for dominance while their lips moved against each other. For a moment they stood completely still letting their mouths claim each other. Then Klaus growled with desire and his hands grabbed onto Caroline's firm buttocks and squeezed. When she responded by moaning into his mouth Klaus smirked proudly and without a warning he lifted her up so that she was pressing against his already hard length. Caroline replied by wrapping her legs around his waist.

Klaus' lips left her mouth and Caroline groaned at the loss of it but when they found her neck the groan turned into one of ecstasy. His lips kissed, pulled, nibbled and sucked on every part of her ivory skin that was available to him. Caroline could not stop load moans from emerging from her mouth but was in no state of remembering to feel embarrassed about it.

Klaus left a trail of wet open mouthed kisses down her throat before stopping at her collarbone. His tongue darted out to trace figures across it while his fingers reached up to rip the buttons off her shirt.

Caroline gasped as the cold air hit her now bared chest. Klaus pulled away slightly to appreciate the view of her breasts but leaned forward again to claim them with his mouth. When his mouth captured her nipple Caroline actually screamed out loud. Klaus smirked against her breast and let his other arm that was still secured around her waist roam a little lower so he could squeeze her ass with his hand.

"Wait – wait…" Caroline panted. Klaus made no movement to stop what he was doing but only pressed himself closer to her body so she could feel his hardness against her. "Have you – have you ever… made love before?" it was a stupid question and she wished she could have taken it back the moment it left her. But the damage was already done.

Klaus let go of her breast for a moment to look up at her. Then he laughed.

"I don't _make love_," he chuckled. "I –" his lips was at her throat again and he let them softly dance upwards until they were right at her ear. "… ravish," he whispered into her ear before nibbling softly on her earlobe. "I – " His lips went back to hers and he didn't pull away until she was out of breath. His lips were still so close they were almost touching. "… _take_ what is mine," One of his hands reached for her breast and began to massage it roughly while his lips found her pulse point and sucked on it. "I – " he went for her other ear and took her earlobe in his mouth to suck and nibble on it before whispering. "… _fuck_."

With the last word he placed both of his hands on her ass so that he could push her up against his hard cock. He thrust against her so she could feel exactly how much he wanted to do just that.

But his words had snapped Caroline straight back to reality. With as much power as she could muster she whipped her hand through the air and slapped him across the cheek. The power of her slap made him stumble back and he let go of her which allowed Caroline to jump down on her feet and back away from him.

"I'm not yours to possess," she hissed at him. "And I am definitely not yours to _fuck_," she gave him a last, sharp glare before turning around to stalk back to her room.

Klaus was left standing alone on the deck, throbbing with desire and cursing every god he knew of.

**A/N So hopefully you guys liked that! This didn't move along the plot that much but come on - with Caroline and Klaus making out like two crazy school children you can't blame me too much, can you? As always, thank you for the amazing support. Your reviews are like Klaroline kisses to me. In other words, I love them.**


	9. VIII

**Hi guys! Sorry for the wait but here's the next chapter. I want to warn you that it's a bit of a filler. But the next chapter will have enough action to last you guys a lifetime. ;)**

* * *

Klaus was in a terribly foul mood. That was not something unusual but this morning was worse than most.

When Caroline had stormed away from him he had been left alone, painfully throbbing with a desire she had awoken in him, and he'd been forced to finish it off himself. The thought that he could have been plunging into Caroline instead of having his own hand wrapped around his cock had irritated him to no end.

The worst part of it all was that the thing Klaus could not stop thinking about was not the feel of her lips against his or the way her breast fit perfectly underneath his palm. The sight he could not get out of his head was not her naked chest bouncing in front of him or her flushed cheeks. No, what was posessing Klaus' mind and threatening to drive him mad was the look on her face before she slapped him.

She had looked so _hurt _and _broken_ that Klaus had found himself wanting to reach out and stop her from leaving. Not so he could finish what they started but to hold her until that look went away. Then he'd rip those ridicolous clothes off her body and ravage her until she was screaming his name loud enough to wake the whole crew.

Klaus growled and took a long swig out of his newly refilled hipflask. He was sitting in his quarters, his legs on the table and his head thrown back. The ship was still in motion but it would be another day until they reached their destination. Klaus was trying his best to focus on the plan that lay ahead of him but he couldn't do it. All he could think about was that damn maiden and what she was doing to him.

It was not something he had ever experienced before, he realized. Klaus had desired other women, of course, but it had never gone beyond that. He had wanted someone and he had taken them, then they would be out of his mind forever. But Caroline… she would simply not leave him alone. Something about her golden locks and bright eyes was making his stomach turn and his heart beat in ways he did not understand. She made him feel things he hadn't allowed himself to feel in years. If it had been anyone else he would have made her walk the plank a long time ago. But for some reason Klaus couldn't bring himself to let Caroline go.

Klaus shook his head and took another swig of rum. There was only one solution to the problem, he decided. He had to have her. If he got to fuck her until she was out of breath and her legs caved in beneath her she would be out of his system. All the odd things she was causing him to feel would go away when his strong desire for her did. It had to be the solution.

Of course, doing so would probably take a little more than a heated look. She had not been happy the other night and he had a feeling that she was both too stubborn and headstrong to forget about it just because he asked her to. The thought made his lips pull into what would have been a smile if he had not stopped himself. He was not going to sit there and grin like a silly woman in love. Klaus was the most feared and notiorus pirate on all of the seven seas. He was not going to let some blonde beauty mess with his head.

The problem would be gone as soon as he got to quench his thirst, so to speak. He just had to do the things he had been imagining doing since the day they met all those years ago and he first tasted her. Once he had his way with her she would be out of his mind for good.

At least, that's what he told himself.

That moment the door was pushed open and it snapped Klaus out of his clouded mind. Another blonde was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and an evil look in her eyes.

"Don't frown," Klaus told his sister with a smirk. "You'll get wrinkles."

"Do not patronize me," Rebekah snapped and without asking for permission (he wouldn't have given it to her if she had) she walked intot he room and leaned across the table. "When are you letting me go?"

Klaus sighed in irritation. His sister was as much of a spoiled brat as she always had been. He had been hoping that living on her own and fighting of potential threats would have made her a little more tolerable but it had not. Rebekah was still Rebekah.

"I'm not," Klaus told her and there was fury behind his calm voice that no one but his sister could have been able to see. As much as Klaus liked to think otherwise she knew him better than anyone else.

Rebekah took a small step backward and her eyes narrowed slightly. She knew Klaus better than anyone else in the world and could read him like an open book. Even the smallest of signs was easy for her to catch on to and she could tell that he was in a foul mood. Instead of backing away and leaving him be like any sane person would she stayed where she was. Rebekah was just as stubborn as her brother and would not be leaving without a fight.

"I am your sister!" she said. "You can't treat me like a prisoner!"

"You are not locked in a cell nor are you dead," Klaus pointed out, his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. He was in no mood to deal with his sister right now. "What are you complaining about, sister?"

"I want off this god damn ship right now!" Rebekah demanded.

"Would you like to walk the plank or should we just throw you over board?" Klaus replied easily and Rebekah's eyes flashed with fury. "You betrayed me, Rebekah. You should be on your knees begging for my forgiveness," without realizing Klaus had stood up. His hands were placed firmly against the table and he was leaning forward in a threatening manner. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were dark.

"I betrayed you because you killed the man I loved!" Rebekah's voice was rising with every word and as always when she spoke of the peasant she had once loved her eyes began to fill with tears. Klaus resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her. "You killed him without even thinking about me and -" Klaus did not give her time to finish her speech. His fist slammed down against the table so hard a dent was left in it.

"I was thinking about you!" he shouted. "He was working for Mikael! He would have cut your head off without a second thought! I killed him because he was a threat to my family and unlike you I am not a filthy traitor."

The two siblings stared at each other. Rebekah's eyes were filled with tears that were only held back with the fury radiating through her whole body. Klaus' face was red from screaming and his eyes were dark as the sea during a storm. The thought of pulling his sword out and jabbing it through his sister's chest was not far from his mind.

"He loved me," Rebekah finally spoke and the lack of doubt in her voice only made Klaus' anger grow. "He loved me and he would have changed for me. He was going to leave Mikael -"

"And then Mikael would have killed your precious Alexander himself. Either way, he was a dead man the day you met him."

The accusation hung in the air and Rebekah gasped. Klaus stared her down until finally she looked away. One of the tears had escaped and was running down her cheek. Klaus bit down to keep himself from snapping at her. He had done nothing wrong. He had killed the man who had been a threat to his family and if he had a chance to do it again he gladly would have. The fact that Rebekah did not understand the selfless gift he had given her made him tremble with anger.

"I loved him," Rebekah whispered. "Why could you not have let me be happy?"

"Your happiness would have ended with your head on a plate delivered at Mikael's knees," Klaus spoke slowly, making sure each word hit like a bullet.

To his surprise Rebekah did not break down in tears. Instead she drew herself up into her full height and met his glare with one just as strong.

"And I would have died happy. But you will never understand that, Niklaus, because you have never known love. And you never will. One of these days you'll meet your end and you will do so alone."

Rebekah turned to walk away but before she had the chance to Klaus had her pushed up against the wall. His fingers dug into her shoulders hard enough to leave bruises and he did not let go when she whimpered in pain.

"You promised me your alliance," he spat. "Forever and always, remember that sister? Now it will just be against your will," with those words he let go of her and she dropped to the floor.

Klaus turned around. He heard her get up and scramble out of his room but did not turn around to see her do so. His hand reached for his sword. He was in a desperate need to kill someone. He wanted to drive his blade through someone's heart and watch as the life drained out of them. It was the only thing that made him feel alive. The only thing that reminded him that he had to finish his mission. Taking a life as if it was nothing reminded Klaus that it could be one of his siblings that died at the hand of someone's sword the next time. It reminded him of the oath Mikael had once sworn.

_"I will punish that whore you call mother. I will cut her heart from her body and then I will kill every single child she ever gave birth to. Even the lucky ones who actually have my blood in them. Every last reminder of her life will be ripped away and nothing will be left. Mark my words, each one of you will die."_

* * *

"There you go," Stefan patted Caroline on the back and while he managed to keep the amusement out of his voice his lips formed a small smile. "Get it out of your system and you'll feel better."

Caroline only had time to give him a very dark look before she had to bend over the side of the boat again. Every time she thought her stomach was empty of fluids it decided to prove her wrong by forcing her to empty it into the seas.

"Now I understand why only foul men and whores drink alcohol," Caroline said weakly once she pulled back. She dried her mouth with the back of her hand and sank down into a sitting position.

Stefan allowed his smile to grow a little before sitting down next to her. His hand was still on her back, rubbing it soothingly.

"You just have to know when to stop," Stefan told her. "And you might have done well to start with something a little weaker than the rum of Tortuga."

"Why did you not tell me that last night?" Caroline complained. She had her elbows balancing on her knees and her head resting between her hands. Her face was pale and she had dark circles beneath her eyes. Alcohol clearly was not the best beauty treatment.

Stefan simply shook his head and Caroline groaned. As if the constant throbbing in her head and waves of nausea weren't enough Caroline could not stop thinking about that stupid bloody pirate.

The way his lips felt on her skin. His hot breath against her throat. His hands on her body. The way his lips tasted. How everything he did made her ache for more.

And that was exactly the oppposite of what she was supposed to be thinking.

More than anything Caroline wanted to hate Klaus. He had kidnapped her, locked her up and treated her like a common whore. Yet she could not bring herself to steal Stefan's sword and attempt to cut the man's head off. Maybe it was the sun or the lack of good food that was making her feel these odd things. She liked to think it was because of that and not because of him.

"Are you going to be sick again?" Stefan asked. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Caroline lied. "I just -" she nibbled lightly on her lower lip (which only made her think of Klaus' teeth scraping against her skin) before continuing. "Why does he keep me alive?" she finally asked. She knew it probably was not wise to trust Stefan with her thoughts and questions but if she did not get to voice them she would go mad.

For a moment she thought Stefan was going to play dumb. He opened his mouth but closed it after a moment of hesitation. For a little while they sat in silence while Stefan frowned. Finally, he started talking.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "The Captain has never been known to spare lives. He keeps prisoners around longer than women and they are usually made to walk the plank with a rock tied around their booth the moment they step onto the ship."

Caroline bit down on her lip a little harder. Stefan's words were only increasing her already nervous state. Would Klaus tire of her? What if he decided she was of no use to him and decided death would be the better option?

"But he seems to have taken a liking to you," Stefan continued in a much lower voice. "He wants you. And judging by last night he doesn't want anyone else to have you."

A faint blush crept onto Caroline's cheeks at the mention of the previous night. When she had returned to her bed it had taken her hours to fall asleep. She had stayed in bed, her breath heavy and her body aching for something she did not understand.

"He is a bad man," Caroline said but the words did not come off as strong as she would have liked them to. "He does bad things to good people."

"He's a pirate. That's what pirates do," Stefan shrugged but there was a bitterness in his voice that did not go unnoticed by Caroline. "He is worse than most but that is just who he is. He saved my brother and I when he let us come on his ship and I will forever be in his debt for that. And maybe I'm wrong, but you don't seem to hate him as much as you should either."

Caroline opened her mouth to protest, to correct him, but found that she couldn't. Instead she closed it and sighed.

"He's awful. But - he makes me feel free. I've never been free before. I've always been bound to my duties as a daughter or a woman or someone's future wife. The fencing and the dancing and the sea… even the drinking. All of it makes me feel free."

"Without freedom, man is nothing," Stefan said wisely. "I suggest you make the best of it."

Before Caroline had a chance to reply a new wave of nausea hit her. As free as it made her feel she probably would not be drinking for a while now.


End file.
